LOWER DIR: Local traders have opposed imposition of taxes in Malakand division, saying the region has long been given the status of tax-free zone.

Addressing an oath taking ceremony at G orgori Chowk, Anjuman Tajiran Timergara president Haji Anwaruddin said that Malakand`s tax exemption dated back to 1961, when the then rulers abolished the princely state of Dir and signed a 100-year agreement to keep the area tax-free.

`The government must first provide essential facilities and incentives to the people of Malakand before even considering imposition of taxes,` he stated.

He said that the division lagged significantly behind the rest of the country in terms of development, with inadequate healthcare and education services while the condition of roads was very bad.

He said that Malakand division had been severely affected by terrorism, floods and earthquakes, exacerbating economic consition of its residents.

The ceremony marked the swearing-in of the newly-elected officebearers of Tajik Market and Malik Market trader unions. The newlyelected cabinet includes chairman Ehteshamul Haq, president Shams Durrani, general secretary Mian Bakhtiar Zeb, senior vice president Salman Sheikh and information secretary Nazir Yousafzai.

The event was attended by Timergara Assistant Commissioner Abdul Aziz Khan, president of Zaib City Centre Zahir Shah Khan, Jamaat-i-1slami district information secretary Malik Sher Bahadur Khan and other prominenttraderleaders.

Haji Anwaruddin highlighted the contribution of local traders to assisting the district administration and government during crises.

He recalled that during counter-terrorism operations, thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) were forced to flee their homes. With the support of Al-Khidmat Foundation, traders provided food, transport and shelter to displaced families, he added.

Abdul Aziz Khan congratulated the newlyelected cabinet of traders and assured them of the district administration`s full support.