The historical Qissa Khwani Bazaar is fast losing its glory and significance for visitors and it appears that the day is not far away when all that will be a thing of bygone days and the people will learn about it in books only.

The frequent bomb blasts, suicide attacks and fire incidents usually caused due to locally made bombs have vanished most of the historical buildings and archetypal woodwork.

The historically known beverage outlets, Qahwa Khana (stall of green tea) are also on the verge of collapse and the people have either switched over to other businesses or changed the shape of old open space tea stalls which have no more attraction for the visitors.

One can only read in the books about the traditional bala khanas, places wherein dancers and drummers used to stay and entertain visitors, as they become godowns and commercial markets.

However, some rooms in the new shaped buildings are still in possession of eunuchs and drummers who are always watching the paths of parties (customers) but they are also very much disappointed due to the prevailing uncertain and poor law and order situation.

The streets of flowers are no more visible and one can watch only a few vendors in the ‘flowers street’ selling flowers. However, Chitrali bazaar is still a place of attraction for the customers, where traditional waistcoats, caps and warm woolen cloth can easily be availed.

No doubt, historical buildings in the background still exist but there is no arrangement for their maintenance, renovation and preservation and most of them have become very risky if not maintained at the earliest.

“We are confined to our rooms and can’t make movement to seek customers due to fear of action by armed men and police as well. Whenever, we leave the residence the police chase us and demand money or throw us behind the bars for no fault,” said a eunuch.

“Zalim hain boht zalim hain police, roti ke paisay bhi cheen letay hain (police are cruel, very cruel who snatch our bread earning too),” the dancer complained.

Haji Fazalur Rehamn (64) is owner of a traditional qahwa khana located at a corner of the historical Qissa Khwani Bazaar, who claims that his family had actively been in the business for over a century, but now he plans to say goodbye to this business. The qahwa khana has no longer attraction for him and plan to switch over to any other business, which is comparatively secure and lucrative too. “My grandfather had shifted from the Mohmand tribal region to Peshawar when my father was very young, who had opened the qahwa khana and my father also spent his entire life (about 100 years) in the business,” he said.

During a chat with this correspondent he recalled the days of peace and tranquility in the historical city of Peshawar. He said the people loved to visit Qissa Khwani to meet the old age people, watch the shops of antiques purchase pieces of different items of historical importance and take a cup of qahwa in the traditional qahwa khanas.

Before throwing light on the historical aspects of Qissa Khwani, he said everyone wants to leave the bazaar as they did not want to die a death of horror and shock, saying he witnessed at least 13 blasts in the main bazaar and in the surrounding streets. “I try to remove the bitter movements but cannot do so when I heard scream and cries of people of all ages including women and children at different painful occasions.”

“The human flesh, bleeding bodies, tears rolling down on checks of heirs of victims and hooters of ambulances are something, which have made me a permanent psycho case,” Mr Fazal recalls the tragic bomb blasts and suicide attacks.

This bazaar, he said, was a place of peace, love, exchange of views and business which used to be one of the important sites for visitors of Peshawar. Qahwa (green tea) of Qissa Khwani was very famous and attractive equally for local and foreign tourists but now it is a place of horror, fear and terror.

In the past, he said the bazaar, especially the qahwa khanas used to remain opened till late in the night. There were many cinemas which were sole source of entertainment for the people and maximum of the visitors liked to have green tea but now everyone tries to run fast and reach home before the sunset.

“We had permanent customers belonging to different areas who used to bring their agriculture produce (fruits, vegetables to the markets in Peshawar), who used to take rest in the traditional charpais (cots) placed on the premises of the qahwa khanas but now the entire space could be seen empty.

“We have become so cautious of the blasts that avoid serving tea to people in the open market as waiters also fear to move in the bazaar. We also cannot afford to put lives of the waiters at stake by sending them to the bazaar as they are bread earners of their families,” he said.

Another senior citizen Maqsood Ahmed, bamboo merchant, in the ladder street who claims to be cousin of the renowned India movies star Shahrukh Khan, said his family was in the business for many decades and had customers in different parts of the province and tribal regions (Fata) and even in Afghanistan but now the sale of bamboos was next to nil. We have sacked our workers because of the nose-dive trend in our business, low income and increasing utility bills and fast increasing building rent by Auqaf Department.

Similarly, another aged shopkeeper Sufi Abdul Lateef also talked about the negative impacts on lives of the people due to the day today bomb explosions and asked the government to provide alternate parking facilities for the vehicles to minimise chances of explosions in the bazaars.

He said businessmen could not stop movement or parking of vehicles along the roads, adding that it was the duty of police to keep vigil on the surroundings. He expressed the hope that everything could be put on the right path if they (police) had to stop taking bribe from the people.

At present, police have blocked the entry to Qissa Khwani Bazaar by stretching barbed wire outside Kabli police station (now Khan Raziq police station) and entry of pedestrians and vehicles is at the police’s disposal only.

“We are compelled to restrict movement of motorists because in the prevailing delicate security situation, no one can take the risk to allow all and sundry. We have taken this step in consultation with the traders’ associations,” a police official said.

The bomb blasts and suicide attacks on the premises of Qissa Khwani have so far taken lives of hundreds of people including a former capital city police officer and one of the competent officer Malik Saad Khan, SP investigation Hilal Haider, DSP Khan Raziq, DSP Gulfat Hussain, senior Jamaat-i-Islami leader Dost Mohammad Khan, former nazim Asif Baghi and many other prominent people.