Pakistan: Protest over dam land compensation continues, highway remains blocked

Islamabad, Sep 14 (IANS) Hundreds remain stranded as residents of Harban in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's (KP) Upper Kohistan continue blocking the Karakoram Highway (KKH) for the seventh consecutive day, demanding immediate and higher compensation for land acquired for the Diamer-Basha Dam project, according to local media reports.

The sit-in near Harban Nallah has severed the main route linking Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan with the rest of Pakistan, leading to acute shortages of food and medicine while leaving hundreds of goods-laden trucks immobilised.

Protesters accused WAPDA and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa administration of reneging on commitments over compensation payments, according to a report in the leading Pakistani daily, The Express Tribune.

"Our land was taken, the rates were unfair, and the payments have been delayed for years," a demonstrator was quoted as saying.

Officials from the Kohistan administration and WAPDA acknowledged that about Rs 3 billion is owed in total, stating that nearly Rs 2 billion has already been transferred to the deputy commissioner's account.

They maintained that the remaining sum will be released once legal formalities are concluded. Protesters, however, have rejected any further delays.

The prolonged blockade has driven up prices of essential vegetables such as onions and tomatoes, while transport rerouted through the Babusar Pass is charging exorbitant fares, adding to inflation in an already fragile local economy, according to local media reports.

Traders and transporters report heavy losses with each passing day.

Civil society groups have criticised the silence of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, questioning the writ of the state in addressing the crisis.

Protesters have vowed to continue the sit-in until their demands are met, while residents and traders are urging federal and provincial authorities to step in, negotiate, and restore traffic on the strategic highway.

--IANS

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