Murder most foul: Walled City shuttered after trader shot dead

Senior business community member Haji Haleem Jan was gunned down

PESHAWAR:

A well-known trader, a leader of the business community, Haji Haleem Jan was shot dead by an unidentified gunman at Qissa Khwani Bazaar on Tuesday. As a result, traders shut down all markets, shops within the Walled City.

The attack left Jan critically injured and he was rushed to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) where he died. He was an active leader of the business community for the last four decades and was in his late 70s. “Haji Haleem Jan has succumbed to his injuries at the LRH,” a police official deployed at the medical facility told The Express Tribune.

Haleem was a resident of the Walled City of Peshawar and a successful trader. He was the head of the K-P Anjumam-e-Tajiran and Tajir Grand Alliance Peshawar. City SP Haji Imtiaz told The Express Tribune the murder was committed by a single assailant who came in from the Kabari Bazaar side and opened fire at Jan before fleeing.

“It was part of his routine to come to Qissa Khwani in the morning and we had provided him with a gunman,” said the SP, indirectly suggesting threats to the man’s life. “However, the guard was in Saddar with his son at the time of the attack,” the SP said. The officer added the situation would become clearer once an FIR was registered by family members.

Threat from extortionists

Bazaars remained deserted till sundown; shops in Khyber Bazaar, Namak Mandi, Peepal Mandi, Shaheen Bazaar and others could be seen shuttered.

Trader associations have given the government a three-day deadline to catch the killer otherwise they would start province-wide protests and compel senior officials to resign. At the moment, they have said they will continue to peacefully protest.

Businessmen have also blamed the authorities for failing to provide them with necessary protection, especially as extortion remains a living threat in the provincial capital.

“The killer was between 20 and 22 years of age and arrived through a narrow street from the Kabari Bazaar side at 10:45am and fired five or six bullets at Haji Haleem,” recalled trader Javed Ahmad as he spoke to The Express Tribune. His shop is located across Jan’s.

Ahmad said the masked man shot the 77-year-old trader several times in the busy bazaar, but nobody dared to stop the gunman. He said the assailant fled to safety despite the presence of security officials. He said Jan had been receiving threats for several months from extortionists who had demanded Rs35 million.

Baba-e-Tajran

Jan was popularly known as Baba-e-Tajran and actively campaigned for the protection of traders’ rights. He leaves behind two daughters and three sons.

Some time ago, criminals also planted a bomb at Haleem Tower in Hashtnagri, owned by Jan. However, no significant loss was reported.

Khan Raziq police station, which was yet to register an FIR till the filing of this report, said law-enforcers found five 9mm shells from the site. They said the calibre of the bullets was common in such targeted attacks.

An official from the station added the police took CCTV footage and said it might help the investigation.

Mourning and protests

The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced a three-day mourning period and asked for the immediate arrest of the killers.

“The government has failed to protect the lives and property of traders,” said KPCCI President Zulfiqar Ali Khan.

Traders continue to fall prey to targeted attacks in the city. In the past few years, several leading traders were murdered, while community members continued to receive serious threats.

Jan’s killing sparked protests around the city, while trader organisations rushed to Qissa Khwani Bazaar, also to protest. They also closed down markets in the internal city including Chitrali Bazaar, Shaheen Bazaar, Khyber Bazaar, Peepal Mandi, Namak Mandi and others.

They slammed the government for failing to provide security for traders despite the fact that they had been receiving threats.

“The chief minister, IGP and even the area SHO were aware of the threats to him, but paid no attention to his security,” said Mehr Ilahi, a senior trader.

The leader of traders from Chitrali Bazaar, Abdul Razaq, said, “We pay taxes in millions to the government so we can conduct business in a safe environment.”

“This is the war of every trader,” stressed Saddar bazaar traders’ president Mujeebur Rahman. “We have to unite and protect ourselves as the government has no interest in providing us with security.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 10^th,  2016.