Govt forms commission to resolve boundary dispute

WANA: The government has constituted a commission to resolve the longstanding boundary dispute between Upper and Lower South Waziristan districts, as well as the demarcation issue related to the Gomal Zam Dam area.

This was announced by Additional Deputy Commissioner General of Upper South Waziristan, Fazl Wadud Khan Safi, during a meeting with members of the Gomal Council, comprising elders from the Mehsud and Burki tribes.

The commission will not only oversee the demarcation between the two districts but will also address territorial claims over the Gomal Zam Dam area between the Mehsud and Burki tribes on one side and the ZalikKhel sub-clan of the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe on the other.

The official stated that both parties had previously agreed-through a written commitment signed on stamp paper during a meeting with the commissioner Dera Ismail Khan last year-that the issue would be resolved in accordance with colonial-era demarcation records.

He added that both sides remain committed to that agreement.The provincial government, following this consensus, has now set up a formal commission. It will include the Member Board of Revenue Peshawar, additional deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners from both districts and land demarcation experts.

Before beginning the demarcation process, the commission will review historical records-locally referred to as misal-submitted by both parties.The final decision will be based solely on the misal held by the government.

To expedite the process, ADC General Safi requested four representatives from the ten-member Gomal Council. In response, the council nominated Advocate Salahuddin Mehsud, Dilawar Khan Mehsud, Malik Irfanuddin Burki, and Malik Saeedullah Mehsud to represent them before the commission.

The Gomal Council lauded Commissioner Dera Ismail Khan, Zafarul Islam Khattak, for his efforts in facilitating multiple jirgas with both sides, which ultimately led to the written agreement.

Council members urged the government to ensure swift action and utilize all available resources to resolve the decades-old dispute without further delay. Malik Rafiq Mehsud, Malik Iqbal Mehsud, Malik Nasib Khan Mehsud, Dilawar Khan Mehsud), and Tariq Mehsud and other notables attended the meeting.