SWAT: A complete shutter-down strike on Tuesday brought business activities to a standstill across the Malakand division as traders, lawyers, doctors, political parties, and civil society activists joined hands to protest the proposed imposition of taxes in the region.

Markets and trade centres in Swat, Lower and Upper Dir, Bajaur, Shangla, Chitral, Malakand and Buner districts remained shut on the call of Malakand Division Traders’ Federation.

The activists of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Jamaat-i-Islami, Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl, Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz also attended the protests.

In Swat, commercial centres in Mingora, Saidu Sharif, Matta, Kabal, Bahrain and Khwazakhela remained closed throughout the day, while public transport remained off the roads, affecting routine life.

Political parties, civil society, lawyers, doctors join hands to oppose taxes

A protest rally was held at Nishat Chowk in Mingora, where traders, political workers and representatives of civil society condemned the proposed imposition of federal income and sales taxes in Malakand.

The protesters carried placards and banners demanding the continuation of Malakand’s tax-free status.

Addressing the protesters, Malakand Division Traders’ Federation president Abdur Rahim Khan said the region’s people had already endured decades of militancy, military operations, displacements and devastating floods, leaving the local economy fragile.

“Imposing federal income and sales taxes on a region that has not yet recovered economically is an unbearable injustice,” he said.

The protesters argued that Malakand’s tax exemption was linked to the constitutional arrangements made after the region’s merger in 1969 and should not be withdrawn without addressing longstanding commitments to the area. They also maintained that successive federal governments had failed to fulfil promises regarding an enhanced share in the National Finance Commission Award and annual development funding for the region.

In Upper Dir, commercial activity remained suspended in Dir Khas, Wari and surrounding markets, while transport services between districts were largely disrupted.

Batkhela, Dargai and Sakhakot in Malakand district also observed a complete shutdown, with transport unions staging sit-ins along sections of the GT Road.

In Lower Dir, a shutter-down strike was observed across the district despite heavy rain on Tuesday against the federal government’s proposed imposition of taxes in Malakand division, with traders demanding immediate withdrawal of the decision.

The strike brought commercial activities to a standstill throughout the district. Markets, shopping centres and banks remained closed, while business activities were suspended.

Markets in Timergara, Chakdara and Adenzai remained closed and traders, accompanied by workers from various political parties, staged demonstrations.

The legal fraternity extended full support to the strike by boycotting court proceedings. Attendance in some government offices remained thin, while several private educational institutions also remained closed.

In Chitral, a shutter-down strike paralysed Upper and Lower Chitral districts.

In Lower Chitral, shops and markets were closed in Chitral city, Drosh, Garam Chashma, Ayun, Koghazi, and Ashret.

A shutdown was also observed in Upper Chitral, where commercial hubs and banks in Booni, Mastuj, Laspur, Warijun, Yarkhun, Shagram, and Reshun halted operations.

Civil society representatives, including Action Committee chairman Maghfirat Shah, traders’ union president Noor Ahmed Khan and others, warned the federal government of dire consequences if it refused to withdraw the decision on taxation.

In Shangla, traders observed a shutter-down strike across the district against the government’s proposed taxation plan and staged protests in various tehsils.

Protest rallies were also held in Puran, Bisham and other areas, where traders and members of the local community shouted slogans against the government.

Protests and a shutdown strike were also held in Batkhela Bazaar in Malakand district and various parts of Buner district.

Traders in Bajaur tribal district also observed a shutter-down strike against the proposed imposition of taxes in the Malakand division.

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2026