SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: (Noor Ali Wazir) – A group of local elected chairmans village council under the banner of the “Councillor Ittehad” (Councillors’ Alliance) staged a strong protest against the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) in Wana, accusing it of illegal tax collection and lack of transparency in financial matters.
The protest turned intense when village council chairmen and councillors dismantled an alleged illegal tax collection point near Dandai Gate, close to the City Police Station. Protesters also declared several other points—such as the livestock market, the NADRA car stand, and the Wana bus terminal—as unauthorized tax sites, claiming they were operating without official tenders or legal justification.
Local leaders, including village council Chairmen Karimullah, Aslam, and Rehman, said that taxes were being collected in the name of the TMA over the past two years, yet the public has been kept in the dark regarding the use and allocation of those funds. “There is no transparency about whether this money is being spent on district development or being misused by certain individuals,” they said during the demonstration.
The councillors alleged that a group of influential individuals, in collusion with officials, has been collecting millions of rupees illegally under the guise of municipal taxes. They described these collections as “extortion” and said that without a formal tendering process, such activities amounted to financial exploitation of the public.
The Councillor Ittehad called on higher authorities to take immediate notice of the issue and initiate a formal tendering system. “The public has the right to know under which category these taxes are being collected and where the money is being spent,” they said. “Without transparency, such tax collection is nothing but organised extortion.”
They further asserted that following the FATA-KP merger, the TMA has continued collecting taxes without any legal framework or tender process in place. Despite repeated complaints, no systematic reforms have been introduced, they added. The councillors demanded strict legal action against those involved in illegal tax collection, stressing the need to restore public trust and ensure the rule of law in the region.
Efforts were made to contact the Tehsil Municipal Officer (TMO) for his version of the story. However, he was not present at the office. Staff members at his office informed the media that he had travelled to Peshawar on personal business.The situation in Wana remains tense as locals demand accountability, transparency, and a halt to what they describe as unauthorized and exploitative tax practices by municipal authorities.
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