MANSEHRA: The Muttahida Kohistan grand jirga has failed to convince elders and residents of Dasu and Jalkot to join its campaign for the creation of a separate administrative unit comprising the three Kohistan districts.

“Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan and Kolai-Palas are three separate districts. Their reunification under the banner of Muttahida Kohistan for the creation of a separate administrative unit is almost impossible,” Mohammad Manzoor, a participant in the grand jirga, told reporters in Dasu on Thursday.

The jirga, convened to develop a unanimous stance on the creation of additional administrative units in the country, failed to secure the support of people in Dasu and Jalkot for the proposed Muttahida Kohistan movement.

Flanked by another jirga member, Raja Shafiqur Rehman, Mr Manzoor said Maulana Kareemdad had initially floated the idea of a separate Kohistan province comprising Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan and Kolai-Palas. However, residents of Dasu and Jalkot had rejected the proposal and conveyed their reservations to the grand jirga.

“We have been part of Hazara for over 50 years, since it became a division in 1976. This region has diverse cultures, languages and communities and is viable for being declared a province. But how can we create an administrative unit comprising only three small districts, each with its own natural resources, administrative structure and police force?” Mr Manzoor said.

He maintained that residents of Dasu and Jalkot in Upper Kohistan were the rightful owners or custodians of their district’s natural resources and questioned how they could agree to its division.

“The people of Upper Kohistan, Lower Kohistan and Kolai-Palas opted to divide Kohistan into three districts and they should now refrain from pursuing the idea of Muttahida Kohistan,” Mr Manzoor said.

When contacted, Maulana Kareemdad confirmed that the people of Jalkot had rejected the jirga’s request to join the movement for a separate administrative unit comprising all the three districts of Kohistan.

He said another jirga, comprising representatives of all three districts, had been convened for Nov 20 to decide the future course of action and devise a strategy for launching a movement for a separate Muttahida Kohistan administrative unit.

Published in Dawn, November 13th, 2026