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Fresh
wave of terror confines Peshawarites to homes
Tauseef-ur-Rahman
PESHAWAR: The fresh wave of terror in
the provincial metropolis has triggered extreme fear and sense of
insecurity among the residents, confining most of them to their
homes.
Grief, fear and terror loomed over
the city after the Tuesday’s deadly blast at Pearl Continental Hotel
that killed 17 people, besides damaging the symbol of Peshawar, the
city’s lone five-star hotel.
The residents had not yet come out of
the trauma of Qissa Khwani bomb blast - though the situation had
improved marginally and the city started coming back to normal life
- when the blast at the Pearl Continental plunged them in a profound
sense of insecurity.
Quite thin presence of people could
be witnessed in main shopping hubs of the city, including Qissa
Khwani Bazaar, Khyber Bazaar, Namak Mandi, Chowk Yadgar, Hashtnagri,
Saddar, University Road, etc, where roads used to be jam-packed.
The shopkeepers have taken security
measures on self-help basis. They have encircled the areas
surrounding their shops with ropes to avert car parking
there.Bazaars and markets full of loud voices and laughter, the
inviting songs of salesmen especially for cold drinks, the beautiful
evenings with the family visiting restaurants and hotels appear to
be the past story, said Zahid Khan, a shopkeeper in Khyber Bazaar.
Dull days and disturbing nights
marred the Peshawarites due to ever-increasing security threats.
“The people have lost the spirit to enjoy and laugh and even work.
Stress and anxiety are visible on people’s faces,” said another
shopkeeper sitting idle in his shop at Saddar Bazaar.
Fear can be noticed on the faces of
people who visit these bazaars under compulsion. “It’s very painful
to see the deserted bazaars of Peshawar which in peacetime were
thronged by dwellers, especially in the evening,” said Nouman Shah,
a resident of Saddar.
Even the very busy Dabgari Gardens -
an area known for housing a lot of clinics of private medical
practitioners - which is visited by patients from every nook and
corner of the province and tribal areas, also wore a deserted look.
“Only those who are in extremely serious condition visited the
clinics,” said a doctor.
“A large number of patients come from
south and north of the province but due to prevailing situation in
these areas coupled with the increasing threat in Peshawar, have
also left doctors idle,” a busy practitioner at the Khyber Medical
Centre said.
The newspapers are full of stories
about war and miseries in NWFP be it Bannu, Dir, Buner, Swat, Hangu
or Peshawar. A lawyer Muhammad Anwar said Peshawarites feel they are
being squeezed from all the sides. “While feeling sorrow for their
brethren around, we find ourselves helpless in the face of emerging
security threat,” he added.
However, there were some people, who
appeared to be quite optimistic. They said peace and tranquillity
would return to the province soon. Abdul Ali, a human rights
activist, said “the dark nights will be over soon, terrorists will
be defeated and we will have a peaceful Peshawar once again. But we
will have to stand united and strong to face the menace of
terrorism.”
The News: Friday, June 12, 2009 |
