Shop selling ringtones torched in Peshawar

Fifth store to be targeted over last few days

PESHAWAR:

Yet another shop selling mobile ringtones was torched in the city Sunday night by unidentified arsonists in Shagai Bazaar which falls under the Regi police jurisdiction.

Three such shops were torched some nights ago in Patwar Chowk, while another was set ablaze Saturday night in Patwar Payan village. All the shops were in the Mathra police jurisdiction.



“In all these instances, petrol bombs were used,” an official of the Regi police told The Express Tribune. “This time, a general store selling ringtones and memory cards was targeted.”

Police said the trend of torching these shops coincided with a cleric’s speaking out against such establishments. The cleric had accused the shops of dealing in pornography.

“This cleric has fled the area and nobody really knows his name as he was simply referred to as ‘mufti saab’,” said the official. He added the man’s disappearance indicated his involvement in the incidents of arson.



Targeting music centres and mobile shops selling ringtones is nothing new for the provincial capital. Earlier, several threatening letters had been sent to shopkeepers in Bilour Plaza by suspected Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants, warning them to bring an end to their businesses.

Dozens of music and mobile shops and internet cafes have been blown up in the last eight years. In fact, one of the first signs of militancy in the region was the destruction of these shops. During the recent spate of attacks in Mathra, the culprits torched the stores instead of blowing them up.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2015.