October 8, 2003	Wednesday	Sha’aban 11, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, Oct 7: The government on Tuesday set up a committee to assess the damages caused to businesses, private and public properties in the capital by the unruly mob during a demonstrations against the murder of MNA Maulana Azam Tariq.

During the violence that erupted soon after the funeral prayers early in the day, an unruly mob set ablaze a cinema house, damaged structures and smashed window-panes of many private and official buildings including ministry of religious affairs, Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority, main branch of National Bank, Muslim Commercial Bank, National Savings Centre, United Bank, and GPO.

The public representatives and traders held the administration responsible for the loss to property and business. They said that the police and the administration remained silent spectators while the mob ransacked the private and public properties.

An official of Islamabad Capital administration told Dawn that City Magistrate Farasat Ali would head the committee, comprising two representatives each from Aabpara, Melody and Blue Area markets.

The traders representatives include organizing secretary of Traders Action Committee Ajmal Baloch, Melody Market Traders Union president Munir Moghal, patron-in-chief of Melody Market Salahuddin Khan, Qazi Ilyas, Mohammad Kashif and Khalid Chaudhry.

Though the committee is yet to come out with final estimate of losses, Munir Moghal claimed that Melody Market alone had suffered a Rs50 million loss due to the mob attack during which the recently renovated Melody Cinema was gutted.

He also demanded shifting of Madressahs from the capital, claiming that the students of these religious institutions had a long history of damaging private properties. “This is the third violent attack in Melody Market during a span of 15 years,” he said.

Mr Baloch said a team of traders was still estimating the losses in Aabpara Market, since almost all the shops in the market had suffered losses of at least Rs5,000 to Rs10,000 each.

He said a nearby petrol pump and an under-construction hotel were damaged the most during the rioting.

He expressed the hope that the damages would be duly compensated soon. Otherwise, he warned the traders would launch a protest campaign and hold a demonstration outside the Parliament House.

Meanwhile, Atique Khattak, the proprietor of the Melody Cinema, which was set ablaze by the mob, asked the Capital Development Authority to allow him to convert the cinema hall into a plaza since he did not plan to reconstruct the cinema house.