PESHAWAR (Pakistan News) — The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has announced the withdrawal of all provincial government taxes imposed in former FATA and PATA areas, while demanding a 10-year tax exemption from the federal government for these regions and the fulfillment of promises made at the time of their merger.
A grand jirga was held at the Chief Minister’s House in Peshawar regarding the imposition of taxes in former FATA and PATA, organized by the provincial government. Leaders of various political parties, including the Pakistan Peoples Party, Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, Muslim League, and Jamaat-e-Islami, as well as representatives of the business community, participated in the jirga.
Addressing the jirga, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said that it was encouraging to see the government and opposition united on obtaining the constitutional and economic rights of the province. He said that in the past, all political parties had also united on various issues, including CNG and wheat.
Faisal Karim Kundi said that political parties have adopted a joint stance on provincial issues and that strong arguments will be presented to the federal government for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s constitutional and financial rights.
He said that the federal government’s promise to provide Rs100 billion for former FATA has not yet been fulfilled, and imposing taxes without fulfilling these commitments is inappropriate. He demanded that traders from former FATA be provided the same facilities as traders in other major cities of the country.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor said that the province is rich in natural resources and that they stand with the government on every matter concerning provincial rights and interests.