GILGIT:The 10-kilometre stretch of land which separates Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) from Gilgit-Balistan has been causing problems between Gilgit-Balistan’s (G-B) chief minister and provincial government again.
HunzaNews January 25th, 2014.
Mehdi Shah, the chief minister, has threatened to send G-B’s policemen to the disputed territory near Diamer-Bhasha Dam if the K-P police do not leave.
The land dispute is over a 10-kilometre stretch of land on either side of the Basari check post, which separates K-P from G-B. The ownership of the land remains in limbo and has caused unrest between residents of Diamer Valley and Kohistan, as it involves the disbursement of royalties in the long run. In an attempt to settle the dispute, the federal government decided to replace G-B and K-P police with Rangers in the area last month, since the dispute started to spill-over and has put the future of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam at risk.
“We had withdrawn our police on the assurance from the centre that the K-P government would also pull its police force out from the disputed land,” the CM told reporters outside G-B Assembly on Friday. “But if the Kohistan police remain in the area, we will redeploy our forces at the Basari check post.”
Opposition leader Janbaz Khan from Diamer Valley raised the issue in the G-B Assembly on Thursday, saying that Kohistan police was still holding their previous positions in defiance.
Assembly proceedings
Minister for Planning and Development Raja Azam Khan drew the attention of the house towards the diseases afflicting plants in the region. He suggested that research laboratories should be set up in each district of G-B. “We need to be prepared to counter diseases to save agriculture products,” he said.
Forcible retirement
CM Mehdi Shah approved forceful retirement of two education department senior officials accused of illegal appointments by accepting bribes.
“Director of Academics Raja Nasir and Deputy Director Mir Baz will now be forcibly retired,” said Farooq Ahmed of the information department. The officials will also be deprived of their pension to compensate for the loss the exchequer bore.
The two sacked officials were accused of appointing 183 teachers, and other staff, in the education department. These 183 employees were then sacked last year after an inquiry.
Express
