PARACHINAR, July 1: Traders here have suspended trade with Afghanistan in protest against collection of octroi by the political administration despite its abolition across the country.
Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, office-bearers of the Kurram Traders’ Association criticised the collection of octroi and threatened to stage sit-ins in front of the Governor’s House in Peshawar and Parliament House in Islamabad if the tax was not withdrawn by July 7. They said Rs15,000 per truck was being charged.
The association’s president Haji Raza Hussain said the government had abolished octroi across the country in 1998. He said former NWFP governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah had announced abolition of octroi in the Kurram Agency.
He said the government should improve the road network in the agency and provide facilities to boost trade with Afghanistan.—Correspondent
