Customs Act extension
MINGORA: A shutdown was observed in various districts of Malakand Division and Kohistan against the extension of Customs Act to the region.
The small and main markets the districts remained closed, as workers of various political parties, activists of traders unions, transporters, lawyers, and other walks of life staged protest against the imposition of the Customs Act in Malakand division.
The legal fraternity boycotted court proceedings while the government and private educational institutions, offices and banks also remained closed in Swat, Shangla, Chitral and Kohistan districts.
The main protest to this effect was held at Nishat Chowk in Mingora in which hundreds of thousands of people participated. They protesters chanted slogans of ‘Go Nawaz Go’ and ‘Go Imran Go’ and against the extension of the Customs Act.
The political parties and traders had given the call for the shutdown and wheel-jam strike.Awami National Party (ANP) leader Ayub Ashari and Wajid Ali Khan, Member Provincial Assembly (MPA) belonging to the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Fazal Hakeem Khan, Mujahid Farooq of the Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Omar Farooq of Pakistan Muslims League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shamsher Ali of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Khalid Mehmood of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP), Fazal Rehman Nono of Qaumi Watan Party (QWP), president Swat Traders Federation Abdul Rahim and others spoke on the occasion.They said that the people in Malakand Division rendered tremendous sacrifices for the country and peace and alleged that the ‘Punjabi establishment was conspiring against them and imposed Customs Act in the region.
They said the people of the area faced immense hardships, forced to leave their houses and settlements for the future of the country but no one care for their troubles.They said the people of Malakand neither have any control over the indigenous resources nor was given any royalty rights. “The government is trying to deprive us of the few incentives given to the area under a written agreement. It is not acceptable to us,” said Ayub Ashari.
CHITRAL: All shops remained closed in the district to protest the enforcement of Customs Act. Addressing the protesters, Habib Hussain Mughal, president of the union of traders, said that they would not accept what he called the unjust law.
DIR: The lawyers in Upper Dir on Tuesday observed strike against the extension of Customs Act to Malakand Division.The lawyers boycotted the proceedings of the courts and termed the government’s decision to extend the act to the Malakand Division as an injustice with the people of the Malakand Division. They said that the decision of extension of the act was against of the accord, which the government of Pakistan had signed with the former states of Dir, Swat and Chitral.