Threats force closure of 60 CD shops
Owners of at least 60 shops dealing in CDs, VCSs and other ‘objectionable’ items closed their business in the Karkhano Bazaar on the Torkham Road, Peshawar after they received warnings from militants. The Karkhano Bazaar, having some 25 plazas, is famous for smuggled foreign goods.
According to shopkeepers, they had received threatening letters in October too, asking them to close down their business, but they had ignored the threats. As a result, militants had destroyed four CD kiosks and damaged an electricity transformer on Nov 2 by setting off an improvised explosive device.
The shopkeepers were again warned on Nov 23 to abandon their business, otherwise their shops would be blown up.
A meeting of the market committee held to discuss the matter asked CD shop owners to close down their business.
The participants expressed the hope that “mujahideen” would not threaten them after the closure of the CD shops. Recently, one person was killed when a CD shop was attacked in Nishtarabad.
Source: Dawn
Date:11/25/2007
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