SWABI: Tobacco dealers on Saturday threatened not to allow Pakistan Tobacco Company and Philip Morris International Pakistan to purchase crop from growers in Swabi district if the federal and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governments don’t waive various taxes imposed on them.

They were speaking at a meeting called by the Tobacco Dealers Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (TDAKP).

Through a unanimously adopted resolution, the participants demanded that the Rangers personnel be removed from the green leaf threshing points and the excise department officials be barred from ‘harassing tobacco traders’.

TDAKP members from tobacco growing districts of Mardan, Charsadda, Buner and Swabi attended the meeting, declaring that they wanted to resolve their issues through negotiations with the federal government and KP governments.

Through another resolution, they demanded that the various taxes imposed by the federal and provincial governments should be waived.

Addressing the meeting, Iftikhar Ahmad Khan, TDAKP central president, alleged that the tobacco crop had been targeted under a systematic strategy for the last three to four years and new taxes were being imposed, which had a far-reaching impact on the crop’s production and revenues of the government.

“The government’s revenues will automatically decline when tobacco cultivation is reduced in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and similarly, traders and growers will also face difficulties,” he cautioned.

Mr Khan said a ‘cruel tax mechanism’ always had a negative impact on the country’s economy.

Nawab Khan, a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader, asked the federal government to pay heed to the demands of tobacco dealers.

Meanwhile, a three-member committee was constituted to take up the matter with the federal government functionaries.

CYLINDER BLAST: A man and his wife were injured in a cylinder blast inside their house in Qamargayi area of Razaar tehsil on Saturday, Rescue 1122 officials said.

The family said the woman was cooking food in the kitchen when the blast occurred, also damaging the house. A rescue team shifted the injured to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, wherefrom they were referred to Bacha Khan Teaching Hospital, Shahmansoor. However, officials at the Bacha Khan Hospital said that the injured would be referred to the burns centre in Peshawar due to their critical condition.

Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2026