The grand jirga has been entirely facilitated by the administrations of GB and KP and WAPDA to boost the Diamer-Basha Dam construction
In what can be termed a good omen for Diamer Basha Dam Project, the centuries-old boundary dispute between Thor and Herban tribes has finally been settled. This wousettlingforld pave the way for resolving the boundary disputes between Gilgit Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Wapda spokesperson said on Tuesday.
This historic announcement was made by Thor-Herban grand jirga, mandated for settlement of the dispute, in a ceremony held today at the Diamer Basha Dam Project site.
In addition to the 26 Members of the grand jirga, WAPDA Chairman Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain (Retd), Commander FCNA Maj Gen Jawwad Ahmed, WAPDA General Manager Land Acquisition and Resettlement Brig Shoaib Taqi (Retd), WAPDA General Manager/Project Director Diamer Bash Dam Rao Muhammad Yousaf, Commissioner Diamer- Astore Division, Deputy Commissioner Diamer District, Additional Deputy Commissioner Upper Kohistan, MPA Upper Kohistan, GB Ministers and MLAs from Diamer District, local elders, senior officers of WAPDA and a large number of people from Thor and Herban tribes attended the ceremony.
Thor-Herban grand jirga was constituted way back at the end of 2019 to resolve the thorny issue of the boundary dispute between the two tribes. The 26-member grand jirga comprises 13 Members, each from Diamer District of Gilgit Baltistan and Upper Kohistan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including elders and religious scholars. The Jirga had a series of detailed deliberations during the last two years. During their reviews, the Grand Jirga was fully facilitated by the civil administrations of Gilgit Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and WAPDA.
In line with the decisions made by the Grand Jirga, WAPDA Chairman, Commander FCNA, and Thor-Herban Grand Jirga Members in the ceremony presented cheques worth Rs Four hundred million to the affectees of 2014 clash between the two tribes claiming lives and properties.
Addressing the ceremony, WAPDA Chairmen thanked the grand jirga to settle the boundary dispute between Thor and Herban tribes. He also appreciated the tedious efforts made by the civil administrations of Gilgit Baltistan and Kyber Pakhtunkhwa and Land Acquisition and Resettlement WAPDA in facilitating the Grand Jirga to arise to the historic resettlement.
Earlier, WAPDA Chairman also visited various sites of Diamer Basha Dam to review the progress on the project. The areas included diversion tunnels, diversion canal and excavation at abutments of the dam.
WAPDA was constructing Diamer Basha Dam Project on River Indus, which was scheduled to be completed in 2028-29. The Project would have a gross water storage capacity of 8.1 MAF to irrigate 1.23 million acres of additional land. With an installed power generation capacity of 4,500 MW, the project would provide more than 18 billion units per annum to the national grid. Construction of Diamer Basha Dam would also positively impact the annual energy generation of the existing hydel power stations, including Tarbela, Ghazi Barotha, etc. That would increase by another 2.5 billion units. In addition, the life of Tarbela Dam, which has been playing a pivotal role in the country’s progress since 1974, will also increase by another 35 years.
