diff --git a/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/tasks/deploy.yaml b/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/tasks/deploy.yaml
index 0cabfe6dbb1f1d2fb6a90692b0a529759f3030f0..26e38d191d059afd16e7b03f5268698d7df3383a 100644
--- a/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/tasks/deploy.yaml
+++ b/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/tasks/deploy.yaml
@@ -30,17 +30,19 @@
     commit: true
     validate: true
   diff: true
+  register: output
   check_mode: true
   when: >
     ( dry_run | ansible.builtin.bool ) is true and
     vendor == "nokia"
 
-- name: Validation succeeded
-  ansible.builtin.debug:
-    msg: "Base config has been validated against the router and no syntax errors were found"
+- name: Fail if there is any diff
+  ansible.builtin.fail:
+    msg: iBGP configuration drifted!!!
   when: >
-    ( dry_run | ansible.builtin.bool ) is true and
-    vendor == "nokia"
+    output.changed | ansible.builtin.bool
+    and
+    is_verification_workflow | ansible.builtin.bool
 
 
 - name: Update iBGP mesh ["{{ verb }}"] on "{{ inventory_hostname }}" [AND COMMIT][NOKIA]
diff --git a/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/tasks/main.yml b/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/tasks/main.yml
index 99c9c6152201dd45e73986d35e75a11e56a2850f..3fe519471853b89bc8fc816fc4d59809d9272695 100644
--- a/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/tasks/main.yml
@@ -29,7 +29,8 @@
 
 - name: Include PE into P tasks if selected
   ansible.builtin.include_tasks: add_pe_to_p.yaml
-  when: verb == "add_pe_to_p"
+  when: >
+    verb in [ "add_pe_to_p", "verify_p_ibgp" ]
 
 - name: Check status of iBGP on P router
   ansible.builtin.include_tasks: check_p_ibgp.yaml
diff --git a/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/templates/nokia/add_pe_to_p.j2 b/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/templates/nokia/add_pe_to_p.j2
index ef53ae4bfb7df21ac078204b0dd643e3ceedb384..2b9528d8b7b36c151c7fe877b15fdde5d42e4768 100644
--- a/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/templates/nokia/add_pe_to_p.j2
+++ b/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/templates/nokia/add_pe_to_p.j2
@@ -4,12 +4,12 @@
       <router-name>Base</router-name>
         <bgp>
           {% for pe_fqdn, pe_ipadd in pe_router_list.items() %}
-            <neighbor xmlns="urn:nokia.com:sros:ns:yang:sr:conf" xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0" xmlns:nokia-attr="urn:nokia.com:sros:ns:yang:sr:attributes">
+            <neighbor xmlns="urn:nokia.com:sros:ns:yang:sr:conf" xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0" xmlns:nokia-attr="urn:nokia.com:sros:ns:yang:sr:attributes" alu:operation="replace">
               <ip-address>{{ pe_ipadd.lo4 }}</ip-address>
               <description>{{ pe_fqdn }}</description>
               <group>iGEANT-P-ONLY</group>
             </neighbor>
-            <neighbor xmlns="urn:nokia.com:sros:ns:yang:sr:conf" xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0" xmlns:nokia-attr="urn:nokia.com:sros:ns:yang:sr:attributes">
+            <neighbor xmlns="urn:nokia.com:sros:ns:yang:sr:conf" xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0" xmlns:nokia-attr="urn:nokia.com:sros:ns:yang:sr:attributes" alu:operation="replace">
               <ip-address>{{ pe_ipadd.lo6 }}</ip-address>
               <description>{{ pe_fqdn }}</description>
               <group>iGEANT6-P-ONLY</group>
diff --git a/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/templates/nokia/verify_p_ibgp.j2 b/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/templates/nokia/verify_p_ibgp.j2
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..3c30bba2e56bf424f668e999a04a1ce04359f15d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/templates/nokia/verify_p_ibgp.j2
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+
+<config xmlns="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0" xmlns:alu="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0">
+  <configure xmlns="urn:nokia.com:sros:ns:yang:sr:conf">
+    <router>
+      <router-name>Base</router-name>
+              <bgp xmlns="urn:nokia.com:sros:ns:yang:sr:conf" xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0" xmlns:nokia-attr="urn:nokia.com:sros:ns:yang:sr:attributes" alu:operation="replace">
+                <error-handling alu:operation="replace">
+                    <update-fault-tolerance>true</update-fault-tolerance>
+                </error-handling>
+                <local-as alu:operation="replace">
+                    <as-number>{{ geant_re_as_number }}</as-number>
+                </local-as>
+                <group alu:operation="replace">
+                    <group-name>iGEANT-P-ONLY</group-name>
+                    <admin-state>enable</admin-state>
+                    <next-hop-self>true</next-hop-self>
+                    <type>internal</type>
+                    <peer-as>{{ geant_re_as_number }}</peer-as>
+                    <capability-negotiation>true</capability-negotiation>
+                    <local-address>{{ subscription.router.router_lo_ipv4_address }}</local-address>
+                    <family>
+                        <mcast-ipv4>true</mcast-ipv4>
+                    </family>
+                </group>
+                <group alu:operation="replace">
+                    <group-name>iGEANT6-P-ONLY</group-name>
+                    <next-hop-self>true</next-hop-self>
+                    <type>internal</type>
+                    <peer-as>{{ geant_re_as_number }}</peer-as>
+                    <capability-negotiation>true</capability-negotiation>
+                    <local-address>{{ subscription.router.router_lo_ipv6_address }}</local-address>
+                    <family>
+                        <mcast-ipv6>true</mcast-ipv6>
+                    </family>
+                </group>
+              {% for pe_fqdn, pe_ipadd in pe_router_list.items() %}
+                <neighbor xmlns="urn:nokia.com:sros:ns:yang:sr:conf" xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0" xmlns:nokia-attr="urn:nokia.com:sros:ns:yang:sr:attributes" alu:operation="replace">
+                  <ip-address>{{ pe_ipadd.lo4 }}</ip-address>
+                  <description>{{ pe_fqdn }}</description>
+                  <group>iGEANT-P-ONLY</group>
+                </neighbor>
+                <neighbor xmlns="urn:nokia.com:sros:ns:yang:sr:conf" xmlns:nc="urn:ietf:params:xml:ns:netconf:base:1.0" xmlns:nokia-attr="urn:nokia.com:sros:ns:yang:sr:attributes" alu:operation="replace">
+                  <ip-address>{{ pe_ipadd.lo6 }}</ip-address>
+                  <description>{{ pe_fqdn }}</description>
+                  <group>iGEANT6-P-ONLY</group>
+                </neighbor>
+              {% endfor %}
+            </bgp>
+    </router>
+  </configure>
+</config>
diff --git a/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/vars/main.yml b/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/vars/main.yml
index 554323f99447dc3cf5fc32ca23c72fd1119ab1bc..e118a3ef5d659ab367562d790c51cb4e3d68c389 100644
--- a/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/vars/main.yml
+++ b/geant/gap_ansible/roles/ibgp_update/vars/main.yml
@@ -1,10 +1,12 @@
 ---
 # vars file for ibg_update
 dry_run: "True"
+is_verification_workflow: false
 verbs:
   - add_pe_to_p # Adds all the existing PEs in the P-GROUP on the newly installed P
   - add_p_to_pe # Adds the newly installed P to the P-GROUP in all the existing PEs
   - check_p_ibgp
+  - verify_p_ibgp  # Validates the config of BGP stanza including neighbors
   - remove_p_from_pe # placeholder for future use | Removes the P that is going to be promoted to PE from the P-GROUP on all PEs
   - add_pe_to_pe # placeholder for future use | Adds the newly installed PE (could be an EX-P or a new PE) to the PE-GROUP on all the other PEs
   - add_new_pe_to_p # placeholder for future use | Adds the newly installed PE (could be an EX-P or a new PE) the P-GROUP on all the Ps