MANSEHRA: The jirga of Harban tribe of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Thor tribe of Gilgit-Baltistan has settled the boundary dispute between the two sides as the process of demarcation will be started next week.

`As the demarcation of share of each tribe in the disputed territory will be carried out on May 23 and decision taken in this regard will also be announced on the occasion,` Assadullah Qureshi, the chairman of action committee, announced during the jirga.

The jirga, which concluded after three days of sitting with the final note of peace and tranquility between both tribes, settled almost all important issues that caused tension between them including ownership of land at boundary between Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the last many decades.

`If we can settle our issues peacefully as we have done now here at the jirga then nobody can create conflict between us in future,` said Mr Qureshi.

He said that once they would sign an agreement regarding the ownership of the disputed land on May 23, then lasting peace and tranquility would prevail in the boundary area where Frontier Constabulary was deputed since 2014 after killing of four people in exchange of fire between the rival tribes.

Dilbar Jan, who led Thor tribe at the jirga, expressed the same sentiments and said that there were differences between the tribes over many issues but the jirga settled them in such a way that both the tribes accepted the decision.

`We would follow the same way in future too so that nobody can create rift between both the tribes, said Mr Jan.

Fazl-i-Khalig, the deputy commissioner of Kohistan, said that as both the tribes agreed to maintain peace and tranquility between them so it was a great breakthrough.

`We would take decree of the jirga to our official committee having five officials each from GB and KP then final strategy can be evolved,` he said.

Mr Khalig said that mega development projects like Diamer-Bhasha dam could be executed once peace prevailed at the 8 kilometres disputed land.

`Peace is guarantee for future of mega projects particularly of hydropower power projects in Kohistan and the gesture showed by both tribes might bring prosperity to both the sides,` he added.