Registration of Non-Custom Paid Vehicles Sparks Dispute in Bajaur

The conflict centers around the registration of NCP vehicles and has led to serious differences between the district administration and tribal and political leaders.

Muhammad Bilal Yasir

The registration and profiling of non-custom paid (NCP) vehicles in tribal districts, including the Malakand division, commenced on October 15. Still, an ongoing dispute in Bajaur district, with its large population among the newly formed districts, has stalled the process. The conflict centers around the registration of NCP vehicles and has led to serious differences between the district administration and tribal and political leaders.

A recent Grand Jirga was convened in Bajaur's Civil Colony, Khar city, to address the issue of registering non-custom paid vehicles. The gathering featured Deputy Commissioner Bajaur Anwar ul Haq, District Police Officer Bajaur Kashif Zulfiqar, Assistant Commissioner Khar Mohibullah Yousafzai, Assistant Commissioner Nawagai Adeel Ahmad Sattar, Additional Assistant Commissioners, nominated committee members, members of the media, and an Excise and Taxation Officer representing the district administration. The representative Jirga included Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Sahibzada Haroon Rasheed, PPP President Haji Sher Bahadur, Malik Hizar Rehman, Aurangzeb Inqilabi, Malik Yousaf Khan, and Malik Khan Zeb.

Addressing the Jirga, Deputy Commissioner Bajaur Anwar ul Haque emphasized that, similar to the Malakand Division, registering non-custom paid vehicles would be obligatory in Bajaur. Unregistered vehicles would be seized if they failed to comply.

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Subsequently, a significant rift emerged between the district administration and the representative Jirga. Members of the representative Jirga, including Sahibzada Haroon Rasheed and Haji Sher Bahadur Salarzai, contended that they would follow the model of the districts in the Malakand Division, refusing to proceed until those districts were registered.

They asserted that Bajaur had only been merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for five years, while the Malakand Division had been part of the region for a century, warranting the registration of the Malakand Division first.

It's worth noting that on October 25, during a joint Grand Jirga comprising political and tribal leaders at the Bajaur Press Club, the crackdown on NCP vehicles was rejected, and a fine of Rs 2 lakh was announced for those who attempted to register them. Since then, despite the registration office's opening, the process remains uninitiated due to the ongoing dispute.