Indefinite closure irks internet café patrons


Yasir Habib July 18, 2010

LAHORE: Regular visitors to internet cafés, particularly in Garhi Shahu, complained bitterly on Sunday of the inconvenience resulting from the closure of the facilities at the police’s suggestion in the wake of Saturday’s twin blasts.

The city police have directed the managements of internet cafés to shut down their businesses for a while to avoid a similar incident from happening. Ghulam Awan, a daily visitor to an internet café in Garhi Shahu, told The Express Tribune that he spent an hour at the café every day of the week to conduct research for his master’s thesis. “I have not been able to work for two days as all the cafés in the area have been closed,” he said.

Shama Naz, another visitor, said that her mother only allowed her to go as far as the internet café closest to her house but it was closed for two days. “My brother who is studying in Cyprus has sent me an important email. I fear that I wouldn’t be able to view it for a while owing to this indefinite closure.”

Hina Jamil, a Garhi Shahu resident, said that her husband was settled in Saudi Arabia. She said she talked to him using the webcam facility at an internet café near her residence. She said she had not been able to talk to her husband for two days and was not sure how long this breakdown may last considering the indefinite ban.

The owner of an internet café in Garhi Shahu said that he was losing Rs2,000 for every passing day that he would have to keep his business shut . “It is my sole source of income. I don’t know how will I manage my kitchen if the ban continues for a longer period of time,” he remarked.

The owner of another café said that instead of shutting down these facilities and creating problems for so many people who visit them, the police should focus on security.

Meanwhile, dozens of people have been arrested in the wake of Saturday’s blasts for questioning.

On orders from DIG (Operations) Rao Sardar Ali and the CCPO Aslam Tareen, Cantt, City and Civil Lines police stations have arrested large but undisclosed number of men.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 19th, 2010.

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