JI seeks tax-free zone status for Malakand

MINGORA: A leader of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) on Monday asked the government to declare the Malakand Division a tax-free zone until 2033.

Speaking at a press conference, former Member Provincial Assembly Mohammad Amin said the people of Malakand had faced militancy, the coronavirus pandemic and the flash floods, crippling them financially.He said that the business community and the traders could not pay the taxes, therefore, the government should declare the division tax-free for another 10 years.

“The people of Malakand should be exempted from paying all sorts of taxes until 2033,” he demanded, asking the government to unveil a Rs100 billion special package for the Malakand Division on the pattern of the merged districts.The JI leader said the government should redress the grievances of the people and mitigate their sufferings before imposing taxes on them. He said that the flood-hit people were still facing a host of problems while the winter was about to set in.Mohammad Amin said the residents of Malakand would soon launch a joint struggle for their rights by staging protests, therefore, the government should meet their demands.