BAJAUR: Most of the automated teller machines (ATMs) in Bajaur tribal district are out of order, troubling the people as they desperately need cash for Eid shopping.

Talking to Dawn on Friday, the residents complained said ATMs of private banks in Khar and Inayat Kallay bazaars, the two major trade centres of the district, were out of order.

“Out of seven ATMs in Khar Bazaar five have been out of order since Wednesday morning,” Shahab Khan, a government employee, deplored.

Some customers alleged that banks deliberately kept the ATMS closed around Eid for unknown reasons despite the fact that the State Bank of Pakistan had strictly asked their managements to keep the ATMs functional to facilitate people in withdrawing cash for Eid shopping.

Anwar Khan, a government employee, told Dawn that closure of ATMs had caused great difficulty to him in withdrawing his salary. He claimed he had visited all the seven ATMs in the Khar Bazaar on Thursday, but found them either out of cash or out of order.

Other people said there were only two ATMs functional in the bazaar on Friday, where there was huge rush of people.

Meanwhile, people in Inayat Kallay Bazaar said all the three ATMs in the commercial centre had been out of order for last three days.

The customers demanded of the high-ups of banks to make the ATMs functional with immediate effect.

Officials of four private banks told Dawn on contact that five out of seven ATMs in Khar and two of three in Inayat Kallay were out of order due to some technical fault due to rough usage by customers. They said there was no chance these faults could be fixed before Eid.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2022