Bara Bazaar reopens after seven years

Trader says a large number of Sikhs have returned

BARA:

After remaining a battlefield for nearly seven years the famous Bara Bazaar in Khyber Agency reopened on Friday for traders, as the area’s control was handed over to the civil administration earlier in the week.

“We are happy to return and continue our livelihood; things have started to become normal again and people are returning,” Yar Asghar, the head of the 45-member Anjuman-e-Tajeran Bara Bazaar that looks after the affairs of the market, told Express News. “There are more than 11,500 shops in the bazaar.”

The officials concerned said in the first phase of the bazaar’s opening, the registration process will be completed by the civil administration and in the second phase a stadium will be constructed in Shalobar. In the third phase, family parks will be built around Akkakhel.

The officials said the reopening of Bara Bazaar was also linked with the expansion of Central Highway of Peshawar that leads to Bara.

Back to life

Since the focus now is to create an opportunity for people to revive their business, many shopkeepers were seen busy making minor alterations to their shops and cleaning them. Several shops at the entrance of the market from Batatal area were opened.



An official who has been involved in the project of bringing economic activity to life, said there were once around 94 industrial units functional in Bara before the militants laid siege of the area.

“However, 54 of the units have been reopened and there is an agreement between traders from outside the tribal belt to invest and reopen the remaining industrial units,” the official added. “A quota has been fixed for the employment of locals in these industrial units: 25% to 30% of the employees will be from the area.”

Thing of joy

“Bara was always a multi-ethnic terrain where people of various religions used to come together,” said Gurvinder Singh, a Sikh trader in Bara, who was displaced because of the operation and has recently returned to the area. “There were around 1,000 shops in Bara Bazaar that were owned by members of the Sikh community.”

Singh said a large number of Sikhs have returned and they have spread the word within their community, asking other to return to the area and continue just like old times.

Official concerned estimate that the past glory of Bara will soon be revived and within a few months more people will return to the area. They said economic opportunities will arise and the situation will become normal within a span of few months.

Security situation

After militants took control of the area and military operations were initiated in Khyber Agency, the bazaar was closed down and an indefinite curfew was imposed since 2009. However, on Friday morning, the market was opened for traders and shopkeepers, who would need to register themselves with the officials as to maintain a record.

While the security in the region has remained a subject of concern, security forces have been deployed to monitor the situation. There are around three check posts within the bazaar itself and security personnel are also deployed at the entry and exit points.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2015.