Up in arms: Traders oppose shifting of cattle fare in Lakaro

Many fear they will be taxed if weekly market is moved to private land

SHABQADAR: Traders have voiced their reservations over the political administration’s decision to shift the location of the weekly cattle fare from a roadside in Lakaro area of Safi tehsil of Mohmand Agency to the fields nearby.

The fare has been organised every Friday in the tehsil for 42 years.

“The weekly fare provides a source of income for 300 traders of Lakaro Bazaar, a local trader,” Ehsanullah told The Express Tribune on Friday. “We will resist the decision to shift it from its original place.”

He added a jirga of the Safi tribe will be held on Monday. During the jirga, tribespeople will decide on their future plans for the fare.



Ehsanullah said the market enables tribespeople to interact with each other. However, some elders supported the shifting of the weekly market. A news conference was held at Mohmand Press Club on Friday where some elders voiced their support for the move.

Shutters down

On Thursday, a large number of traders in Safi closed their shops to protest against the decision.

Gul Rehman, a trader, told The Express Tribune they closed the main bazaar in Lakaro and Mohmand-Bajaur Road when the political administration and levies personnel announced the closure of the cattle fare.

However, the road was later opened while the bazaar remained close.

Once upon a time

Malik Gul Shah, a tribal elder, said the cattle fare was established in 1974 when the first road was constructed in Lakaro.

Shah said when the cattle fare was set up by Aden Khel section of Gurbaz tribespeople on tribal land, it was decided that traders doing business in the market would not be taxed.

Not only cattle, but vegetables, fruits and other items of daily use were also sold there.

According to Shah, the fare continued even during the spate of militancy that gripped the region.

“Traders from Mohmand, Shabqadar, Bajaur and Peshawar would go to the fare and no bans were imposed on them,” he said.

“But now, the political administration of Mohmand, on the advice of some non-locals, wants to shift the fare from the tribal land to a private one so that taxes could be imposed on traders.”

Shah said trader would not let this happen.

He added the political administration claimed they were doing so for the graveyard nearby.

“But it was not true as the fare had been taking place for over 40 years and no one had any objections,” he said. “This will create havoc among the tribe and any untoward event in the area will be the responsibility of the administration.”

Over the years, the fare has become a weekly haunt for residents. A large number of people from the agency and other parts of K-P throng to the fare every week.

There are also marble mines in Lakaro, which are closed on Friday. As a result, a large number of miners also visit the fare to meet other tribespeople on the day.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2016.