By: Shahzad Naveed
SWAT: Malakand Division Trades Federation and Swat Business Community on Monday announced a full-scale protest movement against the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) cashing pay orders of mills established in FATA and PATA areas.
While holding a press conference at Swat Press Club, Malakand Division Trades Federation President Abdul Rahim, along with Swat Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Noor Muhammad Khan, Yousuf Ali Khan, Adnan Khan, Haji Hayat Ali. Trades Federation Spokesperson Dr Khalid Mahmood Khalid said that a protest movement will be launched against this illegal move taken by the FBR Chief Commissioner.
He said that in the first phase of the protest, a protest camp will be set up in front of the FBR RTO office in Peshawar, and a demonstration will be held, while in the second phase, a complete shutter-down strike will be observed by closing all mills and business establishments in the entire FATA and PATA areas.
Abdul Rahim said that in the free tax zone, 10 per cent duty is already paid on raw materials and pay orders are submitted only as a guarantee; however, the FBR, in collaboration with the private Meezan Bank, cashed these pay orders, which embezzled crores of rupees from the mills of FATA and PATA.
He said that on December 30, the Peshawar High Court had issued a stay on the pay order, while on December 31, the FBR cashed the pay order and also committed contempt of court.
He called this move complete injustice and cruelty by the FBR. He added that the mills and industry are already facing a severe shortage of raw materials, due to which many industries are on the verge of collapse. And thousands of workers have become unemployed.
Finally, he demanded that Federal Minister Engineer Amir Muqam raise this issue with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and find an immediate solution to the problems faced by the industrialists and business community of FATA and PATA.
