Karakoram Highway shut amid Diamer-Basha dam compensation row

Hundreds of passengers and transporters remain stranded as residents of Harban in Upper Kohistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, continued their blockade of the Karakoram Highway (KKH) for the seventh consecutive day. The protest, reported by The Express Tribune, demands immediate and higher compensation for land acquired for the Diamer-Basha Dam project.

As reported by The Express Tribune, the sit-in near Harban Nallah has cut off the main route linking Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) with the rest of the country, creating severe shortages of food and medicine and leaving hundreds of trucks carrying goods immobilised. Witnesses said travellers were stuck on both sides of the highway. Protest leaders blamed Wapda and the K-P administration for failing to honour compensation commitments. "Our land was taken, but the rates were unfair and payments have been delayed for years," said Niamat Khan, one of the organisers, according to The Express Tribune.

Officials from the Kohistan administration and Wapda said about Rs 3 billion is owed in total, with nearly Rs 2 billion already transferred to the deputy commissioner's account. They insisted the remainder would be released once legal formalities are complete, but protesters rejected any further delays. The blockade has driven up prices of vegetables such as onions and tomatoes, while transport rerouted through the Babusar Pass charges steep fares, worsening inflation in the fragile local economy. Traders and transporters report heavy daily losses. Civil society groups criticised the K-P government's silence, questioning the writ of the state.

Diamer Valley has been particularly affected, with residents of Darel and Tangir unable to travel to Chilas or Gilgit, crippling daily life and economic activity. Protesters vowed to continue the sit-in until their demands were met, while residents and traders urged federal and provincial authorities to negotiate and restore traffic on the strategic highway. "We will not leave until our demands for fair compensation are met," said one of the protest leaders, as reported by The Express Tribune. (ANI)

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