PESHAWAR, Nov 25, 2025: After almost six years of continuous proceedings, the Peshawar High Court has finally brought to a close the long-running dispute over land settlement in Chitral.
A division bench, consisting of Justice Wiqar Ahmad and Justice Dr. Khursheed Iqbal, heard the final round of arguments on Monday. The petitioners were represented by Barrister Asad-ul-Mulk, and Muhibullah Tarichvi, while AAG Muzammil Khan and DAG Gohar Rahman Khattak appeared on behalf of the provincial and federal governments.
In the late hours, the bench declared that the petition had been “disposed of”. The operative reasoning and directions of the court will be detailed in the written judgment, which is still awaited.
The dispute stems from a complex historical background. Chitral, formerly a Princely State, joined Pakistan at the time of independence through an Instrument of Accession executed by its Ruler, His Highness Muzaffar-ul-Mulk, withthe Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Under the Constitutions of 1956 and 1962, Chitral continued to hold the status of a “federated state” until its eventual merger into Pakistan in 1969 under the Dir, Chitral and Swat Administration Regulation, 1969.
Following the merger, the government set up the Chitral Land Disputes Inquiry Commission to determine the ownership of properties belonging to the former Ruler, the provincial government, and individuals whose titles were contested. Crucially, the commission’s mandate did not extend to the undisputed lands of ordinary Chitralis, and therefore its report remained silent on those areas.
Another key development was a notification issued in 1975 by the Home and Tribal Affairs Department under the Distribution of Property (Chitral) Regulation, 1974. This regulation enjoyed constitutional protection under Article 8 of the Constitution, shielding it from challenge on the basis of fundamental rights. The 1975 notification declared all “wastelands,” “mountains,” “pastures,” “jungles,” “chiragahs,” and “shikargahs” to be government-owned property.
For decades, the notification lay largely dormant. However, during the ongoing land settlement process, the provincial government began enforcing it, resulting in the recording of title for approximately 97% of Chitral’s landmass in the government’s name.
This action severely impacted large segments of the local population, prompting widespread concern and ultimately leading residents lead by ex-MPA Ghulam Muhammad, ex-MNA Shahzada Iftikhar-ud-Din, Inayatullah Aseer, and many otherschallenged the government’s approach before the Peshawar High Court in 2019.
In 2021, the Court issued a restraining order preventing the government from finalizing the settlement record, a stay that has remained effective since then. Because the matter involved intricate legal and constitutional issues, arguments were heard over numerous hearings. After listening to the final submissions of AAG Muzammil Khan and the concluding rebuttal by Barrister Asad-ul-Mulk, the bench reserved its decision. Later that evening, the Court announced that the case had been disposed of. Only once the written judgment is released will the full impact of the ruling on Chitral’s land settlement process become clear.