PESHAWAR – The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has formally demanded Rs 64.62 billion from the federal government and Punjab. This move escalates administrative tensions between Pakistan’s provincial frontiers. Specifically, the staggering claim addresses decades of uncompensated water siphoning from the Galiat region to the neighboring resort town of Murree.
The 64 Billion Rupee Tap: KP Demands Decades of Water Dues from Punjab
A Legacy of Unpaid Dues
The provincial government issued an official communique asserting that Murree has consumed approximately 500,000 gallons of water daily from Galiat since 1947. Furthermore, officials highlight a glaring administrative lapse. No formal agreement or compensation mechanism has ever existed for this cross-border resource sharing.
Consequently, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa water dispute with Punjab now rests on a massive financial calculation. The KP administration maintains that the Punjab government owes Rs 64.62 billion for the water extracted over the past 77 years.
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In a letter dispatched to the Federal Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, the KP administration warns that Galiat’s water table faces immense pressure. Therefore, they label the Murree Water Board’s continued extraction as “unjustified” and “unauthorized.”
Additionally, the KP government expressed deep reservations regarding new infrastructure in Dunga Gali. They have formally requested a halt to the construction of a 2-million-gallon water tank and associated pipelines. In their view, this expansion represents a further encroachment on dwindling provincial resources.
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Proposals for a New Resource Treaty
To resolve the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa water dispute with Punjab, the KP government has empowered the Galiat Development Authority (GDA) to negotiate a formal treaty. However, they have proposed specific interim solutions:
- Equal Distribution: The current supply should be divided into 250,000 gallons for each region.
- Market-Rate Pricing: The Punjab government must pay the prevailing market rate for any additional water supplied to Murree.
The Fiscal Burden of Undercurrents
Muzammil Aslam, the Advisor to the Chief Minister on Finance, emphasized that the province incurs massive expenditures to maintain this infrastructure. As a result, he urged the Punjab government to find alternative water sources for Murree immediately.
This Khyber Pakhtunkhwa water dispute with Punjab has now shifted from a local grievance to a major federal financial conflict. Ultimately, high-level negotiations will determine the final price of the water that has sustained Murree for decades.
