MANSEHRA: A grand jirga held in Kolai-Palas on Thursday urged two rival tribes to avoid any use of force over the ownership dispute of the Mor valley, saying efforts were underway to settle the matter peacefully through dialogue.
“We want the ownership dispute over Mor valley to be settled between both tribes once and for all, and until this jirga issues its final verdict, neither side should create a law and order situation,” Deputy Commissioner Noorul Amin told members of the Khokamungkheil and Daramkheil tribes during the jirga held at his office.
The jirga was convened after members of the Khokamungkheil and Daramkheil tribes allegedly took positions in bunkers and exchanged heavy gunfire over the ownership of Mor valley, a scenic area.
The participants discussed the prevailing tension in detail and decreed that neither tribe would carry arms or engage in hostilities until the dispute was resolved through an examination of historical records.
“A follow-up jirga will be held on June 20, during which we are likely to settle the ownership issue once and for all. Until then, both tribes will exercise complete restraint,” Amin said.District Police Officer Arbab Shafiullah Jan told the jirga that police would take strict legal action if either tribe violated the jirga’s decision.
“Representatives of the district administration, local clerics and elders from the former combined Kohistan district will visit the disputed valley and help determine the ownership issue. Anyone taking the law into their own hands will face legal action under the relevant laws,” he said.
