CM inspects border fencing at Torkham

PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mahmood Khan visited Torkham border on Friday where he inspected the border fencing and functions of different departments.

This was the first visit of the chief minister to the Khyber tribal district since he took charge, said an official handout.

He was briefed by the security officials about the border fencing and different activities.

The chief minister said the public sector entities and officials should facilitate the trade activities, adding that Torkham, Ghulam Khan and other frequented routes linking Pakistan with Central Asia via Afghanistan would emerge the life-veins of the economy of the country in the wake of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

Mahmood Khan said that the KP government had already planned Rashakai Industrial Estate, Hattar Industrial Estate and 17 other industrial zones in the province.

The expressway from Peshawar to Dera Ismail Khan and Gilgit to Chitral and Dir to Chakdara as an alternative route for the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor would integrate the province through a road communication network as the Swat Motorway was already in the completion phase.

The chief minister said the Chashma Lift Irrigation Project would bring a vast barren land under cultivation for agriculture productivity and to ensure food self-sufficiency.

Earlier, the chief minister visited the residence of Federal Minister Pir Noorul Haq Qadri where he offered condolence to him on the death of his father Pir Hazrat Sheikh Gul Jee.

KPRA takes action against wedding halls’ management: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority (KPRA) has taken action against the unregistered wedding halls and those not paying the sales tax on services.

A press release said on Friday that a team of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority led by the Additional Collector Rashid Javaid Rana carried out an intensive inspection of the wedding halls in the areas of old Jamrud Road, University Road, Hayatabad, Faqirabad and many other areas of inner Peshawar city.

“These marriage halls are not registered with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority and hence not been paying sales tax on services,” the communiqué said. Muhammad Tahir Orakzai, director general Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority, said that all stakeholders relevant to the wedding halls’ business be sensitised through warning notices to not only deposit sales tax on services by January 3, 2019, but also ensure that proper sales tax invoices are issued to their clients and the practice of issuing ‘Kacha receipt’ to the consumers is stopped forthwith.

He added that defaulters of sales tax should take advantage of this opportunity by making themselves voluntarily tax compliant.

In case of any default, their businesses will be sealed on January 4, 2019. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Authority said that so far, final compulsory registration notices to 167 property dealers, 53 to housing societies, and 20 beauty salons have been issued.

PhD scholar defends the thesis: Dr Muhammad Kamran of the Social Work Department has successfully defended his PhD thesis on “Adjustment Problems of the Resettlers of Tarbela Dam” at a public defence held at the University of Peshawar. He did his research under the supervision of Dr Johar Ali, dean, University of Peshawar.

The researcher’s ethnographic study explores the displacement of the people by the government of Pakistan’s mega project Tarbela dam.

Those affected by the project were resettled in different areas of Pakistan. The study has critically analysed the problems faced by such resettlers.