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.”
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