Rallies held across Malakand division against new taxes

SWAT/LOWER DIR/BAJAUR: Traders, lawyers, political workers and local elders held rallies in parts of Malakand division on Sunday to oppose the imposition of taxes, urging the federal and provincial governments to reverse the move and warning of a wider protest campaign if it is not withdrawn.

In Swat, a demonstration brought together lawyers, traders, political leaders, elders and workers from different political parties. Those who addressed the gathering included Swat Traders’ Federation president Abdur Rahim Khan, Jamaat-i-Islami leader Inayatullah Khan, PTI MNA Dr Amjad Ali and MPA Fazal Hakim Khan, ANP leader Sher Shah Khan, JUI-F’s Ijaz Khan, PML-N’s Qawai Khan and PPP’s Akhtar Hussain.

Speakers said the people of Malakand had faced severe hardship over the last two decades, including the 2005 earthquake, militancy, military operations, displacement and repeated flooding. They said the region had also not received sufficient development schemes or economic support from successive governments despite enduring conflict and natural disasters. According to the speakers, the new taxes had added to the burden on a population already dealing with economic difficulties, and they warned that a sustained protest movement would be launched across the division if the policy was not reversed.

Lower Dir protest

In Lower Dir, Jamaat-i-Islami organised a rally in Timergara against the taxation measure and demanded that the government take back the decision. The protest, led by JI Lower Dir emir Maulana Asadullah, was attended by party workers, traders and residents from across the district. Participants marched on various roads before gathering at Gorgorai Chowk.

Those who spoke there included Maulana Asadullah, JI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa North deputy emir Arshad Zaman, JI Lower Dir general secretary Shoaib Ahmad, Timergara Traders’ Association president Anwaruddin and information secretary Malik Sher Bahadur Khan. They said the people of Malakand rejected the imposition of taxes in the region. The speakers said they were not against taxation in principle, but maintained that commitments made to the people of Malakand when the region merged with Pakistan in 1969 had not been honoured. They said the area had been promised tax-free status for a fixed period and argued that successive governments had failed to meet their obligations, while Malakand still lagged behind other parts of the province and country in development and public services.

Bajaur gathering

In Bajaur, political party members and traders staged a protest in Inayat Kallay Bazaar against federal taxes in the division. Demonstrators carried banners and placards carrying slogans against the federal government and also raised concerns about the prolonged unrest in the district.

Bajaur Amn Jirga head Sahibzada Haroon Rashid, Jamaat leader Sardar Khan, Khar Traders’ Association president Wajid Ali Shah and JUI-F’s Imran Mahir were among those who addressed the gathering. They said the taxes had been imposed despite persistent unrest, weak law and order, poverty and underdevelopment in the region. The speakers termed the move unfair and unlawful and said it showed disregard for the problems faced by the area’s 20 million residents. Referring to the Sartaj Aziz Commission report, they said the region was supposed to remain tax-free until 2028. They also said the federal government should fulfil its commitment to provide Rs100 billion annually and allocate a three per cent share in the NFC Award to the region.

Haroon Rashid announced that political and business representatives from all tribal districts and Malakand division would meet in Peshawar on July 16 to work out plans for a protest rally in Islamabad against federal taxes.