Rs15m illegal ‘rahdaris’ collected daily in Fata districts

PESHAWAR: Despite merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in May this year, the administration in the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) allegedly collected Rs15 million illegal rahdaris (transit taxes) that added a new facet to the undocumented 'black economy' in the tribal districts, sources said.

Referring to the document of the Fata Analysis & Strategy Team (FAST), Law & Order Department, Fata Secretariat, drew the gloomiest picture of the post-merger "Fata."

The sources said it was announced on May 2 by the then prime minister that Agency Development Fund (ADF) would be abolished in Fata and the expenditures under the corresponding heads of accounts would be provided from the current budget.

"What it conveyed was that the regime of collecting Rahdari cess on various goods and produce transported from within Pakistan or across the border with Afghanistan to or from tribal districts would be stopped forthwith," they added.

However, the collection of such taxes, which was the prime reason for rampant corruption in erstwhile Fata, continued unabatedly and the spillover of this "black money" is now seeping into the whole society, the sources added.

The only difference is that earlier a system was in place and the amount so collected was to be deposited in a bank account, subject to internal auditing mechanism and being spent under various head of accounts in the former tribal agencies. Now all the money collected goes into the pockets of those at the helm of affairs.

The bulk of money mints, the sources said, remain the tribal districts where transit trade with Afghanistan is carried out such as South Waziristan, North Waziristan, Kurram and Khyber districts.

The document shared with The News shows that in South Waziristan district there are three checkposts entering from Tank at Gardawai, Razghai and Kamraiz. These lead up to the Afghan transit post of Angoor Ada on the international border with Afghanistan. Various goods are transported between Pakistan and Afghanistan through these checkpoints.

It said that around 150 trucks are transported through the area daily. The checkposts are manned by the local Levies and Khassadar force under the supervision of district administration. From Rs500 to Rs1,000 is charged from each truck on these three posts. At Angoor Ada Rs3,000 per truck is allegedly charged. This leads to the daily average income of about Rs2 million. Besides, during the chilghooza (pine nuts) season, Rs700,000 are also allegedly collected from each truck for processing of chilghooza at Agri Park Wana. About 20 trucks of chilghooza on an average are transported from Afghanistan to South Waziristan daily. The quantum of illegal collections in South Waziristan, according to the sources, per day is around Rs3 million.

In North Waziristan district three checkposts are set up in Bannu Kajori, Esha and Daduni, which lead up to the Afghan transit post of Ghulam Khan. The sources said that around 150 trucks cross these posts after paying Rs500 to Rs1,000 for each truck. At the border town of Ghulam Khan each truck is charged Rs.3,000.

The daily average income for both ways, the sources said, comes to Rs2 million. These collections are kept secret.

The sources claimed three days before the visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to North Waziristan on November 26 the collections were halted that have now been restarted. No receipts, but unsigned and plain papers called 'security pass' by the administration are handed over to the truck drivers in North Waziristan. The collection of illegal taxes in Khyber district is also continuing. Four checkposts entering from Peshawar have been established at Takhta Beg, Jamrud, Prang Sam and Bugyari, the sources added. These lead up to the border town of Torkham. On a daily basis around 400 trucks cross the border both ways and each is charged Rs200 to Rs600. At Torkham border crossing each trucker has to pay Rs5,000. The daily average income for both ways is pitched around Rs4 million from the checkposts in the Khyber tribal district.

Additionally, the document says, in Khyber the smuggling of non-Customs paid vehicles is also rampant and around 30 to 40 vehicles are smuggled directly from Torkham every week. The administration makes around Rs40,000 per vehicle from the illegal transportation of non-Customs paid vehicles. The weekly average income is estimated at Rs1.4 million.

Moreover, smuggling on camel back and on foot is also carried out through Guruku checkpost in Shalman, Landikotal. Around two trolleys of goods are smuggled generating Rs1.4 million. In total Rs6 million are being daily collected illegally in Khyber. The sources added that in Kurram tribal district one checkpost is set up at Chappari that leads to two Afghan transit terminal posts of Kharlachi and Shaheedanudand at which around 300 trucks transport goods both ways daily.

At the entry point Rs500 is collected from each truck. About 50 trucks of goods are consumed in Kurram district and the rest cross over the border for Afghanistan by paying Rs5,000 per truck. The illegal daily collections come to Rs1.7 million on the average. The smuggling of non-Customs paid vehicles is also rampant in Kurram on the route from Shaheedanudand to Manekhel, through Sadda to Chappari to reach the black markets in Peshawar and Swat. Around 20 vehicles per week are smuggled from which Rs2 million are received. In Bajaur district, the document shows, Nawa Pass is the transit border point with Afghanistan which is inactive and hence no transit trade from Bajaur is taking place. The goods are mostly transported to Bajaur for local consumption. Around 40 trucks along with 70 smaller vehicles enter the district.

In Mohmand district, Gursal is the transit border point with Afghanistan, but it is also inactive. About 20 trucks and 40 smaller vehicles are transported in Mohmand for local consumption. The daily quantum of what the report refers to as 'black economy' in the newly merged districts is around Rs15 million. It doesn't include the money generated by narcotics trade, weapons smuggling, and human trafficking that is a natural consequence of this illegal collection regime, the sources said.