PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court lawyer and legal expert Tariq Afghan Advocate has strongly criticized the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s decision to impose a new sales tax on lawyers, calling it illegal and an act of “contempt of court.”
Speaking on the Pakhtun Digital Podcast, Afghan argued that while lawyers already submit tax returns to obtain Supreme Court licenses, the additional sales tax is unjustified. He warned that the move reflects the government’s lack of seriousness in addressing public concerns.
Afghan pointed out that lawyers are not the only ones protesting in the province. Journalists, teachers, doctors, and even PMS officers have been forced to take to the streets due to unresolved grievances. Government employees in the secretariat have also protested, yet lawyers are being singled out for criticism.
He emphasized that lawyers’ strikes have always been in the public interest and for constitutional supremacy, not personal gain. “If the government were serious, no profession would need to protest,” he said.
Afghan concluded that the ongoing protests by lawyers, judiciary members, and other professionals raise serious questions about the government’s governance and its ability to solve public issues.
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