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GILGIT: A long-standing boundary dispute between two tribes of Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was settled on Sunday with the help of a grand jirga and government and army officials.
The dispute between the Thor tribe of GB and the Harban tribe of KP, going on since before the partition, has claimed many lives and resulted in property damages on both sides.
It was finally resolved after two years of dedicated efforts by a grand jirga of Diamer-Kohistan, led by Molana Syed Sarwar Shah, said Diamer Deputy Commissioner Fayyaz Ahmed.
After six different jirgas had failed since 2016, the grand jirga constituted by Kohistan and Diamer district administrations resolved the difference and finally announced to settle the dispute on January 11. However, due to various issues and resentment, the agreement could not be materialised.
Now, with the participation of both tribes, it was concluded as per local traditions, Mr Ahmed said. He added the government, army, district administrations and Wapda extended “all-out support” to resolve the dispute.
A ceremony at the Diamer-Bhasha Dam site was held to celebrate the occasion which was attended by Diamer and Kohistan deputy commissioners, GB MLA Muhammad Anwar and the WAPDA general manager.
According to officials, the two sides cordially met with each other and decided to forgive the happenings of the past and vowed to maintain brotherly relationships.
The Wapda has also given Rs400m as compensation to the families of the victims from both tribes who were killed during armed clashes in the past, especially in 2012 and 2014.
In March 2014, a deadly clash at the Diamer-Bhasha dam site claimed five lives and left 15 people injured over two days. The disputed territory on the Karakoram Highway has since been under the direct control of the federal government and patrolled by Rangers.
The settlement will enable Wapda to accelerate construction work on the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project.
“Now onwards, there will be no dispute or difficulties for contractors on [the] dam site,” said DC Ahmed, adding the two tribes and the jirga have shown commitment and resolve to support the project.
The Diamer-Bhasha Dam, being constructed on River Indus, is scheduled to be completed in 2028-29. It is set to have a gross storage capacity of 8.1MAF to irrigate 1.23 million acres of additional land, according to a Wapda spokesperson.
With an installed power generation capacity of 4,500 megawatts, the project will provide more than 18bn units per annum to the national grid.
The dam will also have a positive impact on the annual energy generation of existing hydel power stations, including Tarbela and Ghazi Barotha, which will be increased by 2.5bn units.
Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2022
