The Malakand Division Traders Federation has strongly opposed the federal budget’s imposition of a 10% sales tax on raw materials, calling it unacceptable. The group also warned against any move to abolish the division’s separate constitutional status, threatening a full-scale protest movement if their demands are ignored.
Haji Abdul Rahim, President of the Malakand Division Traders Federation, condemned the tax policy, stating that it follows an “anti-people” agenda dictated by the IMF. He argued that such measures only benefit bureaucrats and the elite while burdening the poor. He emphasized that Malakand Division has a distinct constitutional recognition due to its historical sacrifices and should not be subjected to unfair taxation.
Rahim criticized the government for ignoring the region’s struggles, including terrorism, earthquakes, and floods, and accused it of turning Malakand into an “economic laboratory.” He also called out Punjabi industrialists and the powerful class, warning them to “stop conspiracies” or face resistance.
Additionally, he blamed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur for halting development funds, which he claimed has kept the region backward.
The federation announced plans for a joint meeting of all business organizations in Malakand to decide on a future course of action. The movement will include political parties, lawyers, industrialists, the Pakistan Steel Mills Association (PSMA), and civil society to amplify their demands.
Rahim made it clear that the business community would resist any attempt to undermine Malakand’s constitutional status and unjust tax policies through organized protests.
