Gone are the days, when Quetta was called ‘Little Paris’ owing to its unique geographical location and scenic beauty. It was developed by the British as a garrison town in 1876 and was rated as the best one in undivided India. It was reconstructed after the devastating earthquake in 1935, which razed the city to the ground. Now, the mountain-ringed town is home to around three million people.
Quetta's mild and pleasant summer attracted tourists from across the country and overseas. Families from Karachi, Islamabad and Lahore used to visit the city to enjoy its lovely weather and shopping attractions. However, this is not the case anymore. Now rampant incidents of targeted killings, kidnapping for ransom, rocket attacks and bombings have forced even the people of this erstwhile vacation spot to spend their vacations in other cities.
It is hard to believe now that there was a time when Quetta was a very popular destination for the foreign tourists including Americans and the British in the early 1960s, who usually stayed at Lourdes Hotel and Imdad Hotel.
A strong feeling of community and brotherhood, peace and security and a liberal culture were some of Quetta’s claims to fame. Irrespective of linguistic, ethnic, religious and sectarian differences, people had cordial relations with each other.
Live and let live was the city’s unofficial motto. However, a decade-long spree of violence has overshadowed the city’s diversity and tolerant values.
Apart from rising anarchy, the multi-ethnic-and-linguistic city is faced with a host of social issues as well.
Parks have been replaced by security forces' resting and deployment places and the city's beautiful military cantonment has become … almost a no-go area for common citizens as a result of looming security threats. Now the whole city gives the impression of neglect and disrepair. Congested roads with a poor sewerage system and broken footpaths compound the problems of the citizens.
The Paris of the past is now a faded memory. Only the desert of the now exists. —Syed Ali Shah
