Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Amjad Hussain and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi have agreed to open talks to settle the KP-GB boundary disputes between the two regions, including those over Shandur Top, Babusar Top and land around the Diamer-Bhasha and Dassu dams.
The agreement came at a meeting between the two leaders in Islamabad on Sunday. They also discussed air links to Gilgit-Baltistan and the training of officials, according to a statement from the GB Chief Minister’s Secretariat.
The chief secretaries of the two regions will take up the disputes first. The matter will then go to their political leadership for discussion.
KP-GB boundary disputes that have lasted decades
The disputes cover villages along the KP-GB boundary and have run for decades. An official at the meeting told Dawn the two sides had agreed to seek a peaceful settlement of rows that have repeatedly caused tension and violent clashes between communities on either side.
Shandur Top sits at the centre of the dispute. The pass holds the world’s highest polo ground at about 12,500 feet, and both regions claim it. The matter is before a provincial boundary commission.
Babusar Top is another contested point. The pass links Mansehra with Diamer through the Kaghan Valley, and the federal government has yet to settle its ownership. The row has also reached the courts. The Peshawar High Court has directed the National Highway Authority and the KP government to clear outstanding payments to landowners whose properties were taken in 2001 for road widening.
A third dispute involves the Harban tribe of Kohistan and the Thor tribe of Diamer over an eight-kilometre stretch near the Diamer-Bhasha Dam. A clash over the land in 2014 killed five people and left 15 injured. A 24-member jirga defused the row in 2022 and opened the way for official demarcation and compensation for affected settlers in Kohistan.
Other questions over land near the Dassu Dam and Babusar Top remain open.
Why it matters now
The agreement comes as KP’s security and governance dominate the national agenda. Kundi has spent the past week pressing for a stronger counterterrorism effort in the province, and the prime minister has briefed Nawaz Sharif on KP’s security and economic challenges. At a press conference in Peshawar on Sunday, Kundi said decisions on KP’s future would be made in Islamabad, not in Afghanistan.
Settling the boundary rows would also help two large projects. The Diamer-Bhasha Dam needs clear land titles before compensation can be finalised, and the Dassu Dam faces the same questions. Both dams matter for Pakistan’s power supply and water storage.
For people living along the boundary, a settlement would end years of uncertainty over whose land is whose and which administration they answer to. GB’s own institutions have also been in the news, with a tribunal suspending a PPP lawmaker, while the region recently moved its tax exemption system online.
Air links to Gilgit
The Islamabad meeting also took up air travel between Gilgit and Islamabad. Passengers have long struggled with few flights and frequent cancellations.
At present, PIA flies a 44-seat ATR aircraft on the route. The small aircraft and weather-related cancellations make travel hard for patients, tourists and officials who depend on the service. Gilgit airport cannot take larger aircraft, which limits the options further.
Representatives of the private airline South Air also met the GB chief minister during the visit. It was agreed that aircraft would be taken on lease against a guarantee from the GB government, while South Air would run the flights under a joint venture.
The new service is expected to use weather-compliant aircraft on the Islamabad-Gilgit route. That could make air travel more reliable for residents and visitors alike.
Better air links would open the region further to winter visitors.
What happens next
The chief secretaries will now prepare the ground for talks. Their work will set the terms for the political discussion that follows.
No deadline has been set. The history of the disputes suggests the talks will move slowly, but the agreement itself is a step neither side has taken for years.
Frequently asked questions
Who agreed to settle the KP-GB boundary disputes?
KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi and Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Amjad Hussain agreed at a meeting in Islamabad on Sunday, November 8, to open negotiations.
Which areas are disputed?
Shandur Top, Babusar Top, land around the Diamer-Bhasha Dam and the Dassu Dam, and villages along the KP-GB boundary, including parts of Kohistan.
How will the disputes be settled?
The chief secretaries of the two regions will take up the disputes first, before the matter goes to their political leadership for discussion.
What happened in the 2014 clash?
A clash between the Harban tribe of Kohistan and the Thor tribe of Diamer over land near the Diamer-Bhasha Dam killed five people and left 15 injured. A jirga settled the row in 2022.
What was agreed on air travel to Gilgit?
South Air will operate flights on the Islamabad-Gilgit route under a joint venture, using aircraft taken on lease against a guarantee from the GB government.
