PESHAWAR: A demonstration and sit-in outside the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly building by owners of Buner marble factories caused traffic jams on all major roads of the provincial capital for several hours on Wednesday.

The protesters led by Sajjad Khan first blocked the Peshawar motorway in the limits of Peshawar and then came onto the GT Road suspending traffic.

They staged a sit-in outside the assembly building against increase in taxes for mining sector.

The traffic on all main roads of the city, including Khyber Road, GT Road, Sher Shah Soori Road and Khyber Bazaar Road, remained suspended for many hours to the inconvenience of motorists, motorcyclists and pedestrians.

Protesters said the provincial government had increased mining sector taxes three times over a period of time forcing around 400 marble factories in a single district, Buner, to cut operations and thus, causing joblessness.

They said the situation had made sacked workers come onto the streets for rights.

The protesters said Buner district had very fine quality marble and therefore, investors had opened factories in different areas, especially in Mardan, but the 200 percent increase in taxes had forced them to shut down.

Sajjad warned: “if the provincial government doesn’t withdraw the increase (in taxes), we will move the Peshawar High Court besides continuing with the protest for relief.”

The police got the roads cleared after talks with protesters.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl leader Maulana Fazal Ghafoor and Awami National Party provincial information secretary Sardar Hussain Babak accompanied protesters and expressed solidarity with them.

Published in Dawn, October 2nd , 2014