DCs directed to halt action against NCP vehicles

DIR: Commissioner Malakand Division Syed Zaheerul Islam on Monday directed all deputy commissioners to halt the ongoing crackdown on non-custom-paid (NCP) and two-piece vehicles also known as cut vehicles, following serious reservations by the people.

Speaking at a khuli kutchehry after listening to the complaints of local elders, he said the government was making a policy for NCP and cut vehicles with consultation with people.

The police in Malakand Division have launched a crackdown on some categories of NCP vehicles, particularly vehicles that have been smuggled in pieces and wielded into one piece, citing a court verdict.

Earlier, local elders Malik Bahram Khan, Mian Sultan Yousaf, Abdullah, Imran Saeed and others informed the commissioner about their reservations against the ongoing crackdown on NCP vehicles and said action against these vehicles was unacceptable. They said the division was a tax-free zone. PTI’s Imran Saeed objected to collection of indirect tax in Malakand Division, arguing that the region was a tax-free zone.

The local elders were also not happy with the forest department for taking action against local residents for carrying firewood. They said the wood was cut from trees that could hardly be used for other purposes other than fuel and was necessary to keep people warm in the chilling cold.

They said the forests belonged to the people, not to the forest department. “We, the people, have been protecting the forests,” said Jehanzeb Kohistani, an elder from Kohistan in Upper Dir. Recognising the needs of the people, the commissioner urged them to apply for permission from the forest department and move the deputy commissioner office if it did not respond positively.