BANNU: More than 2,500 tenants of the Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) in Bannu have announced that they will stop paying rent in protest against what they describe as an "unjustified" 50 per cent increase in rental charges.

The decision was taken during a meeting of traders' organisations held at the Bannu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, where representatives of around 50 traders' unions participated.

Addressing the gathering, traders said the TMA had increased rents by nearly 50 per cent, calling the move excessive and unfair. They claimed that while no similar increase had been imposed in Peshawar or other districts, traders in Bannu had been singled out.

The participants said they had held several meetings with TMA officials in an effort to resolve the issue through dialogue, but no progress was made.

Bannu Chamber of Commerce and Industry General Secretary Ghulam Qaybaz Khan announced that, effective immediately, no TMA tenant would pay rent until the issue was resolved.

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"We repeatedly tried to settle the matter through negotiations, but TMA officials were unwilling to engage. We have therefore been left with no option but to suspend rent payments," he said, adding that the traders had also decided to challenge the rent increase in the High Court.

The boycott is expected to have a significant financial impact on the TMA, which is already facing fiscal challenges. With rent payments from more than 2,500 shops suspended, the administration's financial difficulties could worsen if the dispute remains unresolved.