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Tribesmen seek end to trade restrictions

DAWN, 10 June 2002

Peshawar, June 9: A public meeting of tribal people in Jamrud (Khyber Agency) on Saturday asked the federal government to lift all sorts of restrictions placed on trade by tribesmen between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

According to a press release issued here on Saturday, the meeting was held under the aegis of Tribal Democratic Party (Qabail Jamhoori Party) at the residence of Malikzada Mustapha Kamal. The meeting passed various resolutions unanimously, asking the government to declare Federally Administered Tribal Areas a tax-free zone.

The meeting also asked the government to announce special packages for Fata so as to provide opportunities of employment to the tribal people. The meeting was addressed by central organiser of the party, Abdur Raheem Afridi, Taj Mahal Afridi, Advocate Asad Afridi and Nurat Khan Afridi. At the end of the meeting, Mustapha Kamal, a known figure of the area, announced joining the party.

The speakers said the party would raise voice for the basic rights of tribal people, including education, employment, health and living conditions. They said that the trade by tribal people between Pakistan and Afghanistan was a centuries-old practice upon which most of the tribal people depended.