10 districts across Malakand division shut down, demand restoration of constitutional status

SWAT: A complete shutter-down strike was observed across all ten districts of Malakand Division on the call of the traders’ community and the Malakand Action Committee, demanding the restoration of the region’s special constitutional status and protesting federal taxes imposed by the government.

Commercial centers and markets remained closed in Swat, Upper and Lower Chitral, Upper and Lower Dir, Malakand, Buner, Bajaur, and Shangla. In an unprecedented move, banks also suspended operations, with branches remaining closed in support of the strike.

Protest demonstrations were held in several districts, where participants urged the federal government to restore Malakand Division’s special constitutional status and withdraw the taxes imposed on the region.

Speaking to the media, Abdul Rahim, President of the Malakand Division Traders’ Association, said the Sartaj Aziz Commission was constituted specifically for the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and did not recommend any changes regarding the Provincially Administered Tribal Areas (PATA), which included Malakand Division.

He alleged that the division’s separate constitutional status was abolished “unlawfully” through the commission’s recommendations, paving the way for the implementation of the Customs Act and Income Tax in the region.

“A divisional-level Action Committee has been formed with the backing of all major political parties. The federal government must reconsider its decision; otherwise, it risks losing the trust of the people of Malakand Division,” Abdul Rahim said.

He warned that the protest movement would intensify in its next phase, with longer shutter-down strikes, wheel-jam protests, and sit-ins planned if their demands remain unmet.

“If the federal government does not reverse its decision, we will block all road links leading into Malakand Division and launch a civil disobedience movement against the government,” he added.

Similar protests accompanied the shutdown in Dir, while complete strikes were also observed in Bajaur, Shangla, Buner, and Chitral.

Action Committee spokesperson Yousaf Ali said markets, commercial centers, factories, and industrial units remained closed throughout the division. He added that daily wage laborers and handcart vendors also joined the strike, describing it as evidence of broad public support for restoring Malakand Division’s special constitutional status.

Despite the successful shutdown across the division, the federal government had not issued an official response by the time of filing this report. Political observers warn that if the government continues to delay addressing the protesters’ demands, tensions in the region could escalate further.