Commission formed to settle Lower Dir, Bajaur land dispute

MINGORA: A high level meeting of officials of Lower Dir and Bajaur was held at the office of commissioner Malakand division and discussed matters pertaining to boundary demarcation between the two districts in Saidu Sharif on Thursday

Commissioner Malakand Zaheerul Islam presided the meeting. Deputy Inspector General of Police, Malakand, Abdul Ghafoor Afridi, Deputy Commissioner Lower Dir Aon Haider, District Police Officer Shahzada Kokab Farooq, DPO Lower Dir Liaqat Ali and other officials from the two districts attended the meeting.

The participants after thorough discussion decided to constitute a commission headed by additional commissioner Malakand division for resolving the land dispute and the boundary issue between the two districts.

The commission would complete all working arrangements for settlement of the issues with 10 days and present a comprehensive report to the commissioner Malakand division in a meeting to be held on April 13.

The meeting decided that no public activities would be allowed in the disputed area till the finalisation of the report and settlement of the dispute.

The meeting urged the people of the two districts to exercise patience and do not take law into hands as it would further worsen the situation.

It may be mentioned that the residents of Totakan had blocked the Bosaq-Bajaur road and demanded the government to resolve the land dispute and the boundary issue between the two districts. Earlier, the people of Malakand and Bajaur had clashed over the disputed land in March last year.

One Rahmat Saeed of Totakan had sustained injuries during the clash. Both the people of Totakan in Malakand and Sharbatai area of Bajaur claim ownership of the land on a hilltop in Bosaq area. The case is pending in the court of the commissioner.