Jirga rejects imposition of taxes in Malakand

MINGORA: A jirga of traders on Sunday rejected the imposition of taxes in Malakand division, saying the government decision would be resisted tooth and nail.

The jirga was held with Traders Federation, Malakand division, president Abdur Rahim in the chair. Traders’ leaders of all the districts and tehsils attended the jirga.

Addressing the jirga, traders’ leader’s Abur Rahim, Anwaruddin Khan, Zawar Khan, Zahid Khan, Fazal Rabi Khan, Zubair Khan, Dr Khalid Mahmood and others said that a strong protest movement would be launched against the imposition of taxes in Malakand division.

They said that the government would face stiff resistance from the traders, lawyers, workers and leaders of political parties and civil society members if it tried to levy any kind of tax in the division.

The speakers lashed out at the former lawmakers for their failure to protect the interest of the people and traders of Malakand division in the previous government.

They said that the Malakand division earlier had the status of Provincial Administered Tribal Areas but that was ended like the erstwhile Fata but the elected public representatives did not resist the government move at that time.

The traders’ leaders vowed that they would go to any extent to resist the imposition of taxes in Malakand division, urging the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) not to think about levying taxes in the ex-Pata.

They also criticized the electricity and gas companies for levying huge taxes in the utility bills and asked the distribution entities to stop sending inflated bills.