The Malakand Division business community has announced that the Chakdara Motorway will be closed to all types of traffic on October 7 in protest against the imposition of various taxes and to demand the restoration of the division’s constitutional and legal status.
An important meeting of the Malakand Division Traders’ Organising Committee was held at Miral Hotel in Chakdara under the chairmanship of President Abdul Rahim. General Secretary of the Swat Traders Federation Dr Khalid Mahmood Khalid and other trader leaders attended the meeting.
Addressing the gathering, Dr Khalid Mahmood Khalid said the traders’ community would launch a strong movement for the restoration of Malakand Division’s constitutional and legal status and against the various taxes imposed on its residents.
He said people in the division had been subjected to several taxes since June 30, 2026, including thousands of rupees in taxes included in electricity and Sui gas bills, as well as property tax, income tax, customs duty and general sales tax.
According to the trader leader, the imposition of such taxes on people living in a conflict-affected, underdeveloped, poverty-stricken and flood-hit region was unacceptable.
The meeting also appealed to civil society, lawyers, journalists, private schools and hospitals, labourers and workers, as well as provincial leaders, district presidents and workers of all political parties, to participate fully in the protest movement.
Participants decided that the Chakdara Motorway would be blocked for all traffic on Wednesday, October 7. The traders urged residents to unite and participate in the protest sit-in to press for their rights and demand the restoration of Malakand Division’s constitutional and legal status.
The announced closure is expected to affect traffic movement through the Chakdara area, with the traders calling on the public to join the protest as part of their campaign against the taxation measures.