Irshadullah Khan
CHITRAL: A rally, consisting of over 150 vehicles, was taken out here on Tuesday against the caretaker government’s decision to launch a crackdown on non-customs paid (NCP) vehicles in Malakand Division of which Chitral is a district.
The rally was arranged by Tehreek Tahafuz Haqooq-e-Chitral and led by its Chairman Pir Mukhtar Nabi and Co-Chairmain Ghulam Marsaleen, President of Drivers’ Union Fazal Nasir and others.
The participants of the rally demanded that a simple solution be devised to register all NCP vehicles within Chitral. They said Chitral is a backward as well as a disaster-prone district and a large number of people’s livelihood depended on these vehicles.
They said the region had been declared a tax-free zone for 100 years. Therefore, the state of Pakistan should keep this agreement and exempt the NCP vehicles from any tax till the expiry of the tax-free zone status period.
The government was requested to register the vehicles without charging the registration fee and set the annual token fee for them.
The rally started from Klup Risht Bazar and ended at the same place after passing through Jughore and Denin.
About two weeks ago, Jamaat-e-Islami KP leaders Inayatullah and Abdul Akbar Chitrali warned that there are approximately five lakh NCP vehicles, and any attempt by the government to seize them could lead to a large-scale clash.
They pointed out that the region had already been significantly affected by recent waves of terrorism and record-high inflation, making it increasingly difficult for locals to make ends meet.