October 11, 2007	Thursday	Ramazan 28, 1428

PESHAWAR, Oct 10: A demonstration was held here on Wednesday in protest against bomb attacks on CD shops.

A bomb blast had killed a man and damaged 30 shops at the Hussain market in Nishtarabad last Tuesday. Around 24 people suffered injuries.

CD shopowners, artists, filmmakers and workers urged the government to provide them with better security.

The protesters were led by CD Shops Association president Sher Dil Khan and Artists Association president Zoom Tariq Jamal. They held placards and banners inscribed with slogans against the government.

“We are not scared of the Taliban or the militants. The destruction of CDs shops is a drama staged by the provincial government and secret agencies,” Mr Khan alleged. He said the attacks were depriving thousands of people of their livelihood. The so-called Taliban, he said, were being used by secret agencies to carry out terrorism.

He complained that despite repeated requests to the provincial government and police, adequate security had not been provided to them.

“We have imposed Rs5,000 fine on the sale of ‘vulgar CDs’ in Nishtarabad and made demands to arrest the culprits involved in Tuesday’s blast.” He said the incident had inflicted million of rupees of losses on them.

He said the stocks owned by 150 shopkeepers of the market for Eid had been burnt in the powerful explosion. He demanded compensation and immediate arrest of people involved in the blast.

“We had been getting threats for the past few months, asking us to quit the alleged ‘un-Islamic’ business or face the music. Police were informed about the threats but even then no security was provided,” he said.