DLP Report
PESHAWAR
Mayor Peshawar Haji Zubair Ali has strongly opposed the decision of Provincial Minister for Local Government Meena Khan Afridi to introduce ticket-based tax collection at Wazir Bagh, terming it an injustice to the poor and an unnecessary burden on the public.
Expressing serious reservations, the mayor ordered the immediate removal of staff deployed to collect the tax at the historic garden.
He said genuine public representatives focus on providing facilities to citizens rather than adding to their hardships.
Zubair Ali stated that the local government minister had recently convened a meeting of the Metropolitan Corporation in which it was decided that visitors to Wazir Bagh and other public parks would be charged entry fees.
He said the decision triggered widespread concern among residents of Peshawar, especially those living near Wazir Bagh, who felt as though “the government had decided to tax even their right to breathe.”
Mayor Peshawar stressed that public parks serve as essential recreational spaces for citizens, women, children, and the elderly, offering fresh air, exercise and moments of relief. Imposing taxes on such places, he argued, showed that those in power were prioritizing personal interests over public welfare.
The mayor not only rejected the decision but also removed the ticketing staff deployed at Wazir Bagh.
He asserted that governments were responsible for public welfare, not merely tax collection, and vowed that no move undermining the fundamental rights of citizens would be accepted.
