Violence Empties Markets in Peshawar, Pakistan
2009-10-21 11:35
Pakistani bomb disposal experts work carefully to dismantle two homemade bombs planted in a school compound in Peshawar.
There's a blast... to diffuse the bomb and there's relief... the devices didn't wreak havoc in the historic city for the fourth time in a fortnight.
Peshawar is the capital of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province and one of the oldest cities in the world.
For centuries it was a center of trade between Asia and the Middle East.
Today it's a staging post for supplying NATO troops in Afghanistan.
And the markets of the city are nowhere near as bustling as they once were.
[Nasir Khan, Local Resident]:
"First there was a blast in Khyber bazaar. Then there was an attack on Kohat Road. With this our markets have become deserted."
Pakistan has a history of military coups, assassinations and political instability, but locals say today's anxiety has never been felt before.
Business owners in Peshawar say the bombings have emptied markets.
[Ayaz Ali, Shop Owner]:
"Business used to be very good. There would be weddings and other festivities, and markets would thrive. But now, ever since these blasts have started, markets are empty. Customers do not come at all."
The government has launched a campaign to tackle an increasingly brazen insurgency attacking Peshawar three times in the last two weeks, along with different parts of the country.
This senior member of Peshawar Traders' Union said the government should come to the rescue, suggesting that taxes should be waived - small recompense for mounting losses.
