Lead

Protesters blocking the Karakoram Highway (KKH) in northern Pakistan called off their sit-in on Tuesday morning and reopened the road for traffic, following negotiations with the district administration, according to Dawn. The highway had been blocked since Sunday in the Thore area of Diamer district, disrupting land connectivity between Gilgit-Baltistan and the rest of the country.

Coverage Comparison

Reports from Dawn indicate that the protest, organized by the Diamer-Bhasha Dam land-affected committee under the slogan 'Huqooq Do, Dam Banao' (Ensure rights, then build the dam), had intensified over the weekend. One report noted that protesters blocked the KKH at multiple points and threatened a long march toward the dam's construction site if their demands were not met. Another report highlighted the impact on travelers, with hundreds of passengers, including tourists and patients, stranded in long vehicle queues on both sides of the highway.

Key Claims

  • Protesters called off sit-in and reopened the highway after successful negotiations with the district administration, as reported by a single Dawn article. According to Maulana Hazratullah, the protest's chief organizer, a timeline was agreed for implementing a 2025 agreement signed with the Diamer-Bhasha dam land-affected people.
  • The 31-point charter of demands includes 80 per cent royalty from the Diamer-Bhasha Dam and 30 per cent from the Dasu Dam for Gilgit-Baltistan, a claim consistently reported across multiple Dawn articles.
  • The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) is undertaking comprehensive measures for the dam's construction and socio-economic development of local communities, according to a Wapda spokesperson quoted by Dawn. The spokesperson also said Wapda remained committed to the 2025 agreement and was prioritizing local employment.
  • The protest disrupted land connectivity between Gilgit-Baltistan and the rest of Pakistan, as reported by multiple Dawn articles, with hundreds of passengers stranded.
  • A single Dawn report carried the protesters' warning that they would march toward the dam site if their demands were not met, a threat not independently confirmed.
  • The GB caretaker government is committed to protecting the rights of dam-affected people, as stated by government officials in one Dawn report, but this commitment had not yet translated into a resolution of the protest's underlying demands.

Perspectives

The protesters, represented by Maulana Hazratullah, maintain that the 2025 agreement has not been implemented and that their demands, including higher royalty shares, are legitimate. They agreed to end the sit-in only after a timeline for implementation was set.

Government and Wapda officials emphasize their commitment to the agreement and ongoing development efforts. They describe the negotiations as successful and highlight the comprehensive measures being taken for the dam's construction and local welfare.

The district administration and GB caretaker government acted as intermediaries, conducting multiple rounds of negotiations before the final agreement early Tuesday morning.