SWABI: Members of Islahi Jirga Swabi said here the other day that there was no check on the interest-based business in the district and the leading businessmen and influential people were involved in it.

They recalled that one Jehanzeb Khan, a resident of Topi city, committed suicide on February 14 after his loan climbed to Rs4.5 million because of the illegal interest.

People here also held a protest demonstration a few days ago to demand a crackdown on this illegal business.

Gul Mast Khan, president of the jirga, said that the interest-based business, already declared illegal by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, was common in the public transport sector and sale and purchase of cars and motorcycles.

He claimed that usually the transporters and bargain owners gave a car or other vehicle to a buyer on high price with the instruction they he would pay the money in a given period otherwise he would have also to pay interest on it.

He said that in case of failure the amount continued to increase every month with interest.

When contacted, district police officer Sohail Khalid said that whenever they got information about any such illegal business they took action.

“We have taken prompt action and registered FIRs against all those people about whom there were complaints,” he said.

VOTER REGISTRATION: The door-to-door campaign to help women get the computerised national identity cards is in progress in order to register them as voter for the next general election.

Arif Shah, a civil society activist, said that they had got encouraging response from the people who allowed their women to secure identity cards.

He said that the deputed female staff visited a selected region and convinced the women to get their identity cards, which was essential for casting vote.

He said that the process would result in more women participating in the next general election than before.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2018