Illegal checkpost at entrance to Motorway Toll Plaza: After suspending Excise team, CM asked to look into police working

PESHAWAR: When the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on December 8 suspended the whole team of the Excise and Taxation Department for setting up an illegal checkpost at the entrance of the Motorway Toll Plaza, he earned praise for checking corruption and making life easier for the people.

Now many people want him to look into the police practice of setting up road blockade at the Motorway Toll Plaza in Peshawar and elsewhere. A motorist frequently using the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway argued that there was no need for the police blockade because this didn’t lead to an improvement in security. “Rather, it slowed down traffic and caused delays,” he added.

Chief Minister Mahmood had taken action when the CM Complaint Cell received frequent complaints that the Excise & Taxation officials were extorting money from the people crossing the Motorway Toll Plaza.

He ordered the removal of the illegal Excise and Taxation checkpost at the entrance of the Motorway. Later, he gave directions that the whole Excise and Taxation team be suspended.

In a statement on the occasion, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in the province wanted to provide facilities to the people instead of creating hurdles for them. He made it clear that public servants would have to change their attitude and serve the people.

Certain bloggers later started raising questions as to why the Excise and Taxation department team was singled out and suspended and the other departments such as the police were let off. Some spoke in support of the Excise and Taxation Department though an overwhelming number of people active on the social media praised Mahmood Khan for taking on the powerful groups involved in extortion of money.