peshawar - The Khyber pakhtunkhwa trading community has accused government officials of disclosing their asset data, claiming that they are receiving calls from extortionists who even know the businessmen’s assets.
At a news conference, sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) president Muhammad Ishaq stated that numerous businesspeople have recently received extortion threats from criminals.
He said that the data of industrialists and important business figures had been leaked by either the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) or the National Database and registration authority (NADRA). “Such data is not even available to the Counter Terrorism Department. However, I believe FBR and NADRA have access to all of this information. We normally reveal bank accounts and other details in tax forms,” he explained.
He claimed that individuals calling for extortion are even aware of the weapons and vehicles available at the residences of those being called.
Ishaq, who was surrounded by merchants and industrialists,stated that the country’s business-hostile policies have hindered commercial and industrial growth during the previous eight months. he said that the situation was deteriorating day by day and that the country’s economy was on the verge of collapse. The pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ( pTI) traders’ wing wrote to Imran Khan last month concerning rising extortion instances in Khyber pakhtunkhwa, particularly in Peshawar. The letter, issued on behalf of the Insaf Traders Wing alerted PTI chief Imran Khan about a rise in extortion and abduction incidents in the region, particularly in Peshawar.
The traders’ letter mentioned recent bomb attacks on haji Muhammad Javed and senator Hidayat Ullah’s residences. The home of former provincial minister Haji Javed in Gulbahar, Peshawar, has been assaulted three times in recent years. The police later declared that it was an extortion case.
According to reports, 411 extortion instances were reported to police in the province in 2022, with 342 charges filed for extortion of money. Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) received 69 First Information Reports (FIRs) on extortion cas
