=> PESHAWAR, Dec 24: Frequent bomb explosions in CD s
PESHAWAR, Dec 24: Frequent bomb explosions in CD shops have forced most of the people dealing in the business to switch over to other trades. During 2007, CD shops were the top target of the militants in the province. Most of the explosions took place in pre-dawn hours damaging the shops and equipment.
Most of the explosions occurred about two weeks after issuance of threatening letters to the owners of the CD shops.
The provincial capital’s major CD market at Nishtarabad has about 250 shops. The business had flourished some seven years ago and touched its peak during the past three years.
During the period, Peshawar became a hub for the business, especially for the traders of Gulf, South Asia, Afghanistan and even Europe.
CDs are liked mostly by the people of the hilly areas where the facility of cable TV is not available.
Some of locally produced Pushto dramas are very popular and CDs have replaced the audio cassettes which dominated the entertainment market for the preceding 20 years.
Despite the availability of dish antennae and cable TV, CDs are in high demand and they are sold discretely in areas where the shops have been closed.
People dealing in computer software have also closed their business for fear of possible attacks.
According to the president of the Muttahida CD Traders’ Union, Sher Dil Khan, the militants threatened the shopkeepers round the year and many of them had succumbed to the pressure and closed their shops.
“The Ghazi brothers of the Lal Masjid in Islamabad asked me to stop dealing in CDs through a delegation but I did not bow down,” he said.
He said that about 50,000 shopkeepers, artistes, cameramen, writers, producers and workers of printing presses were earning their livelihood through the CD business.
The increasing violent incidents had discouraged both the traders and customers, bringing down the business by about 50 per cent, he said.
Most of the shopkeepers in various villages had been forced by local elders to close the business or militants had blown up their shops.
Dispelling the impression of Taliban’s involvement in the explosions, he alleged that the government was responsible for the attacks, saying that otherwise the culprits would have been arrested.
He said the explosions in CD shops were aimed at tarnishing the image of religious people.
He said the city’s only cultural centre Nishtar Hall had already been closed by the then Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal government but local artistes had started holding outdoor programmes and producing CDs.
He said his union had imposed a fine of Rs50,000 for those promoting vulgarity in Pushto CDs and the shops of those found guilty would be closed for three months.
He called for the formation of a provincial censor board for checking the productions.
Mardan, Nowshera and Dera Ismail Khan also have big CD markets, while the shops in Mingora have been closed because of militants’ pressure. Dozens of CD shops have been blown up in Swat.
Source: Dawn
Date:12/25/2007
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