PESHAWAR, Oct 12: In Ramazan about 300 CD shops have been attacked by the Taliban militants across the North West Frontier Province.
“The situation is becoming extremely dangerous and each day at least one CD shop is attacked somewhere in the province,” said Sher Dil Khan, president of the CD and Music Shops Association, on Friday.
Threats and warnings by the Taliban have forced many shopkeepers to abandon the CD business and switch over to other trades. Those who didn’t obey the Taliban directives, however, saw their shops reduced to ashes.
The most dangerous place for owners of CD shops remained Mingora, Swat, where Maulana Fazlullah is very active. “Fazlullah offered the music and CD shop owners cash in exchange for closing their outlets. He paid an amount of Rs70,000 to Rs120,000 to those who willingly set alight the music stuff,” said a source.
At the start of Ramazan several CD and cassette markets in Mingora, Matta and Kanju were destroyed, he said. “Even the internet cafes have been closed down across the Swat district,” he added. In all about 100 CD shops of the district were attacked.
Peshawar’s biggest CD and cassette market was closed down after one person died and at least 25 others were injured as a result of a bomb explosion on Tuesday. The same day, 30 shops were blown up in Malakand.
In several districts of the province, owners of CD shops have put up “for sale” notices, but given the ongoing series of bomb explosions, there are no buyers.
