Tribal elders condemn arrest of taxicabs in Landikotal

LANDIKOTAL: Tribal elders and political parties leaders have threatened to launch a series of protest demonstration against Frontier Crops(FC) officials if they not released dozens of their Non-custom paid vehicles seized in Landikotal during the last few days.

Speaking to press conference here in Landikotal press club local elders included Abdullah Khan,Shakir Afridi,Mustaqil Khan,Wali Muhammad,Mahmood Khan and Hussain Khan said that it was the legal right of the tribal people to use non-custom paid vehicles in all Fata areas. They said that FC officials have seized more then seventy non-custom paid taxi cars in Landikotal. They said the started crackdown against non-custom paid vehicles was against the law and violation of tribal rights given to them by the state.

The elders and political elders accused th security forces  that thousands of non-custom paid vehicles were being running in all parts of Fata. They said seizures of the taxi cars during the last few days was to push the owners and drivers the cars toward anti-social activities.Adding that the vehicles were being used as taxicabs to earn for their poor families.

The local elders said tribal people had been severely suffered of the decade long militancy and had no other businesses or sources of earnings for their livelihood.

Threatening for a series of protest demonstration against the FC officials the elders said that hundreds of family members including women,children and elderly men were deprived of sop which were being earned by the seized  taxicabs. The elders said that non-custom paid vehicles were the single sources of transportation in the tribal areas especially in Landikotal.

They appealed from the Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif,Crops Commander Peshawar and Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to take notice of the illegal arrest of their cars and help release it so that they could earn for their families in the holy month of Ramazan.

The elders said that if the seized vehicles were not released in 24 hours they would start their protest with the first step of hoisting black flags at the top of their homes.