By: SYED SHAHABUDDIN
President of the Malakand Division Traders Federation, Haji Abdul Rahim, has outrightly rejected the imposition of a 10% sales tax on raw materials in the federal budget, warning that if Malakand Division’s special constitutional status is not restored, a large-scale protest movement will be launched across the region. Speaking at a “Meet the Press” in Swat Press Club, alongside Swat Hotels Association President Haji Zahid Khan, Swat Traders Federation Spokesperson Dr. Khalid Mehmood, and trader leader Haji Hayat Ali, he said that unfortunately, all economic policies in Pakistan are dictated by the IMF, benefiting only the bureaucrats and elite classes while crushing the poor.
He termed the recently announced federal budget as an “anti-people” and “IMF-driven” document and said that imposing a 10% sales tax on Malakand’s industrialists and small businesses is unjust. He reminded that according to Pakistan’s Constitution, Malakand Division has a special status, which is a result of its people’s long-standing sacrifices. “We are the people of Pakistan since 1969. Whether it was terrorism, earthquakes, or floods Malakand Division’s people have suffered the most. Instead of granting relief, the government is now snatching what little facilities we had,” he lamented. Haji Abdurrahim further warned, “This is not just about taxes we will not tolerate the removal of our constitutional identity. If the government doesn’t back down, we will start a movement that will make people forget Kashmir’s uprising.” He also criticized the federal government’s alleged favoritism towards Punjab-based industrial lobbies and added, “They must keep their hands off our resources we know how to respond.”
Taking aim at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, he accused the provincial leadership of incompetence, saying, “Due to the inefficiency of our assembly members, development funds for Malakand have been blocked, and the region is being deliberately kept backward.” Haji Abdurrahim announced that a joint meeting of all trader organizations across Malakand Division will be called soon, during which a clear action plan will be devised. He said all stakeholders, including political parties, lawyers, industrialists, Private Schools Management Association and civil society, will be taken into confidence for the upcoming movement.
