UPPER DIR, June 10: The provincial government has decided to regularise more than 100,000 non-custom paid vehicles in seven districts of the NWFP.

Talking to local journalists, NWFP Minister for Excise and Taxation Liaqat Shabab said through the process of registration of non-custom-paid (NCP) vehicles, the government wanted to generate revenue and stop use of unregistered vehicles in criminal activities.

After registration, these vehicles would be able to ply on all roads across the province, he added.

These vehicles, he said, had been smuggled from Afghanistan to Pakistan and they were allowed to ply on roads in the tax-free zone of the province that included the districts of Upper Dir, Lower Dir, Chitral, Buner, Swat, Shangla and Malakand Agency.

He said only the local police stations had records of the non-duty-paid vehicles. These vehicles, however, could not go beyond Sakhakot, the boundary of the erstwhile Malakand division.

“We will register these NCP vehicles with the excise and taxation department and give them number plates. It will generate millions of revenue for the department and stop their possible use in criminal activities,” he said.

Regarding performance of the excise and taxation department, the minister said that poor performance had brought disgrace to the division although there were able employees who could have improved its functioning.

“We will encourage hard working staff,” he said and added that the number of staff members was insufficient and more appointments were needed.

RIFT WITHIN PPP: Provincial Minister for Excise and Taxation Liaqat Shabab, who earlier reached here to end differences within the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) over ticket for by-election on PF-91, failed in the second and final round of talks to convince the dissident group to support the party candidate.