Negotiations between the district administration, police and representatives of the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) and protesters in Kohistan failed on Friday, despite Wapda announcing the release of Rs500 million for the reconstruction of the flood-damaged Dubair–Ranowalia Road.
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Residents of the area have been staging a sit-in at the Dubair Khawar hydropower project for the past five weeks, halting electricity generation in protest against delays in rebuilding the road, which was washed away during the 2022 floods. The disruption has affected mobility and access to essential services for local communities.
Addressing the protesters, Lower Kohistan District Police Officer Abdul Salam Khalid said Wapda, the district administration and police were present to assure them that the tendering process for the road would be completed soon following the release of funds. He urged the demonstrators to call off their sit-in to allow power generation to resume.
Additional Assistant Commissioner Owal Khan acknowledged the hardships faced by residents, particularly the difficulties in transporting patients, including women and children, to hospitals due to the destroyed road. He explained that the project was being financed by the World Bank and required adherence to strict procedures to ensure transparency.
According to officials, the process — from surveys to tendering — could take at least three and a half months, during which construction work could not legally begin. Authorities assured protesters that all commitments would be honoured once procedural requirements were fulfilled.
However, protest leader Malik Salaudden rejected the assurances, stating that the community had unanimously decided not to end the sit-in. He said electricity generation would not be allowed to resume until actual reconstruction work on the road began, reflecting widespread frustration over prolonged delays.
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In a separate incident, a former union council member was shot dead in Mansehra’s Chitti Dehri area over a land dispute. Police said armed men attempted to forcibly occupy land outside his home and opened fire when he resisted. The suspects fled the scene and police have launched raids to arrest them.
Local residents later demanded swift arrests and action against alleged land grabbers.