KHYBER: The Fata Loya Jirga (FLJ) has opposed the imposition of any taxes in the merged tribal districts saying such a move will be unconstitutional and illegal as long as a case against the Fata-KP merger is pending with the Supreme Court.
It also threatened to stage protest demonstrations in all seven tribal districts on the matter.
Talking to reporters in Jamrud here on Wednesday, FLJ president Bismillah Khan insisted that both the federal and provincial governments had failed to honour its pledges made to the people of tribal districts at the time of Fata-KP merger in May 2018 regarding Rs100 million annual development fund for 10 years, three per cent share in the National Finance Commission Award and exemption of those regions from all types of taxation for at least 10 years.
He said that the main purpose of the merger plan announced by the then federal minister, Sartaj Aziz, was to bring the erstwhile Fata on a par with the rest of the country while also politically, economically and social mainstreaming the region in order end its backwardness and sense of deprivation among its militancy-affected residents.
Insists such a move will be unconstitutional
Mr Bismillah said that had the government fulfilled its pledges, the region would have witnessed economic prosperity with the establishment of the promised economic and industrial zones alongside massive investment in improving the existing infrastructure with focus on creation of more employment and job opportunities for local youth and skilled labourers.
He insisted that Articles 246 and 247 of the Constitution envisaged good governance in these regions while also declaring those underdeveloped areas tax free and exemption from all types of taxes until a comprehensive economic package was implemented in letter and spirit as was recommended in the Sartaj Aziz report.
“We believe that as long as our case against the unconstitutional merger is pending before the Supreme Court, which has also promised to form a larger bench to hear this very important case, all taxes are illegal and unconstitutional,” he said.
The FLJ president said that during the course of arguments before the Supreme Court, their lawyers had strongly raised some very important points against the merger which the federal government had yet to respond to and convince the bench that the merger was not done in haste and no constitutional clause or article was violated while passing the 25th Constitutional Amendment.
He added that the PTI government in Islamabad had agreed after the merger that the tribal districts would be given all subsidies until their share in the NFC was determined while also exempting the region from all taxes.
“Unfortunately, none of these commitments were honoured but the little facilities the industry had in the tribal districts were also withdrawn, leaving the local traders and industrialists under constant fear and insecurity,” he said.
Mr Bismillah said the FLJ intended to run a vigorous protest campaign against the denial of due constitutional rights to the people of tribal districts as the so-called merger had pushed the region into economic backwardness and loss of economic opportunities.
He said that the continued security situation coupled with closure of borders with Afghanistan had resulted in diminishing trade and economic activities with thousands of local traders, transporters and daily wagers losing their legitimate sources of earning while the government was bent upon burdening them with more taxes.
“We will oppose all these excesses of the federal government against the people of tribal districts at all forums while arranging awareness sessions and holding public meetings and protest demonstrations in all seven tribal districts,” he said.
Published in Dawn, June 4th, 2026