Jirga rejects abolition of Article 247: Wants Malakand to remain tax-free zone

TIMERGARA: The Talash Dushkhel Qaumi Jirga on Sunday threatened to bring people of Malakand division on roads if Article 247 of the Constitution was not restored. Former head of the jirga Muhammad Ibrahim, Dr Noor Muhammad, Malik Taj Muhammad, Malik Shah Hassan, dozens of jirga members and local government representatives attended it. Speaking on the occasion, Talash Dushkhel Qaumi Jirga head Muhammad Israr and others said they welcomed the merger of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but rejected the abolition of Article 247 that had given special status to the Malakand division. The participants of the jirga said that people of Malakand division had rejected such moves made by the government in the past in a bid to impose heavy taxes on the people. They demanded the lawmakers from Malakand division to play their active role in maintaining the tax-free status of the division. The jirga warned not to vote for the lawmakers in the next election if they failed to restore Article 247. They said the people would never accept such amendments to the Constitution. The jirga also decided to take other local people into confidence before finalising the future line of action.