Border dispute over Diamer-Bhasha dam resolved

In a major development, the long-standing dispute over the multibillion-dollar Diamer-Bhasha dam land site between two tribes of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) has finally been resolved.

This decision was announced by Thor-Herban grand jirga, entrusted with the task of resolving the festering dispute, in a ceremony held on Tuesday.

The 26-member grand jirga was constituted in 2019 to resolve the thorny issue of the boundary dispute between the two tribes and was fully facilitated by the civil administrations of G-B and K-P as well as Wapda.

‘Historic development and good news’

Soon after the announcement was made by the reconciliation committee, Prime Minister Imran Khan welcomed the settlement of the decades-old territorial dispute as a major development, saying it will allow smooth and timely completion of the dam.

“It will also pave way for the settlement of boundary dispute between Gilgit Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” the premier said on Twitter and described the settlement as “historic development and good news”.

In line with the decisions made by the grand jirga, cheques worth about Rs400 million were also distributed to the affectees of the 2014 clash that broke out between the two tribes, which claimed many lives and inflicted damage to properties.

Addressing the ceremony, Wapda chairman expressed his gratitude to the grand Jirga for finding a settlement. He also appreciated the tedious efforts made by the civil administrations of G-B and K-P for facilitating the Jirga.

Earlier, the chairman also visited various sites of Diamer Basha Dam to review progress on the project.

The sites included diversion tunnels, diversion canal and excavation at abutments of the dam.
It is pertinent to mention here that the disputed land was hampering the project’s progress.

The boundary dispute had deepened with the passage of time, with both tribes refusing to budge from their stance. Both tribes had claimed ownership of a piece of land spanning over eight kilometres in the Gandlo Nala area.

Although a one-member commission was constituted to find a solution to the dispute in the past, the two sides had rejected its findings.

The former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), Saqib Nisar, had also taken notice of the land dispute when he took the initiative to raise funds for the project and asked the ruling PTI to try for an out-of-court settlement of the issue.