SWAT: A complete shutter-down strike was observed across Swat and the entire Malakand Division on Monday in protest against the imposition of federal taxes.
All markets, shopping centres, offices, hospitals and bank branches remained closed throughout the division. Factories and industrial units also shut down as part of the protest.
The strike received broad support from the legal community and private educational institutions. Representatives of the lawyers’ association and private school organizations announced full backing for the shutter-down.
All political parties in the region also extended their support to the action. According to Malakand Action Committee, the shutdown will continue from morning till night. Members of the Action Committee remained active in the field to ensure the strike was fully observed.
Authorities allowed only two medicine shops near government hospitals to remain open for emergency services. Abdul Rahim, President of the Traders Association, warned that if the special status of the division is not restored, the shutter-down could be extended.
He added that the next phase of protest will include a wheel-jam strike and sit-ins. Malakand Division, which includes Swat, Dir, Chitral, Buner, Shangla and other districts, had enjoyed a special tax-exempt status for decades after an agreement at the time of merger in Pakistan.
The exemption was aimed at supporting the local economy and compensating for years of militancy, floods and underdevelopment. Traders, lawyers and civil society groups say the recent imposition of federal taxes by the government has placed an unbearable burden on businesses and residents already struggling with inflation.
They argue that withdrawing the special status without providing alternate economic relief violates previous commitments made to the region. The Action Committee has been leading a campaign for the restoration of the division’s special status. Monday’s shutter-down is the latest in a series of protests. Leaders have vowed to escalate the movement if their demands were not met.
Read also: ANP-Led Grand Jirga Rejects Tax Imposition in Malakand, Merged Districts
