CHITRAL: A continued ‘Shortage’ of e-stamp papers has gripped Chitral and its suburban districts, bringing judicial proceedings and essential documentation to a complete standstill and sparking widespread public frustration.
The suspension of supply from Peshawar has triggered the crisis and left district courts and administrative centres without necessary legal stationery, residents complain, worsening the ‘Shortage’ of e-stamp papers in the region.
Official sources say new stock may not arrive until after Eidul Fitr, forcing the local population to face weeks of continued gridlock caused by the ongoing ‘Shortage’ of e-stamp papers.
Judicial And Administrative Work Halted
The crisis has disrupted civil administration as officials have stopped property transactions, drafting of affidavits and the processing of various legal contracts due to the ‘Shortage’ of e-stamp papers.
The shortage has hit residents of far-flung areas particularly hard. Many people travel for hours and spend significant sums on transport only to find offices unable to facilitate their needs because of the ‘Shortage’ of e-stamp papers.
“We spend the entire day waiting only to be told there is no paper,” said Arkari resident Gulab Khan. He travelled for three hours from Arkari Valley but staff at Khyber Bank told him that the paper may be available only after Eidul Fitr.
Hundreds of people who earn their livelihood daily at the district kutchery prepare various legal documents using stamp papers. The ongoing ‘Shortage’ of e-stamp papers has now halted their work.
Livelihoods Affected
Deed writer Saadat Makhfi told Dawn that the unavailability of stamp papers had pushed his daily income to nearly zero during the current week.
With visible anxiety on his face, he said authorities had not clarified when they would send stamp papers from Peshawar to the local branch of Bank of Khyber (BoK).
“If this situation persists I will be unable to meet the expenses of the forthcoming Eid,” he added.
The aggrieved public has urged the government to ensure an emergency delivery of stamp papers before the Eid holidays to clear the massive backlog and save citizens from further financial and mental distress caused by the ‘Shortage’ of e-stamp papers.
When Dawn contacted BoK’s district branch manager Sher Zaman, he said the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had replaced manual stamp papers with e-stamp papers two months ago. The Board of Revenue now issues these papers to the provincial headquarters of the bank for onward delivery to branches across the province.
He added that the headquarters had not issued any fresh e-stamp papers during the last week, which has further worsened the ‘Shortage’ of e-stamp papers in Chitral.
