For Rs120, a packet of Cobra Bombs or phuljharis can light up your life

City administration assures SHC of strict compliance of ban.

KARACHI: Despite the Sindh government’s on and off ban on the manufacturing and sale of firecrackers in the city, most children seem to have a phuljhari in hand on Shab-e-Baraat.

As the authorities struggle to find ways to curb the business, most shopkeepers and traders have started operating from home.

Buying a firecracker

Firecrackers are easily available in Lyari, Liaquatabad, Phelwan Goth, Rabia City and Orangi Town.

Off Napier Road, in a dingy little lane called Patang Gali, once famous for selling kites, now known for good quality betel leaves, is where most people go.

However, due to the turbulent law and order situation, it is not easy to buy firecrackers. Most wholesalers are afraid that the police will seize their products so instead of setting up a store, they sit, wait and scout for clients. In Patang Gali, a group of boy at a confectionary store are the ones to go too. If they sense you’re a potential client, they will show some of the merchandise.

Another place to buy firecrackers is Qasai Chowk, which is a street away from Patang Gali, where a packet of phuljharis is sold for Rs120. There are no shops to discuss the bargains in as most dealers are wary. They make the customer sit in a tea hotel while an employee goes and gets the firecrackers. If you’re still looking, be prepared to deal with another set of dealers – the children. A couple of seven to eight-year-olds work for the manufacturers as dealers. They will grab your arm and try to drag you away before another child tries to strike a deal. A packet of 12 Cobra Bombs is sold for Rs80 while a Paiti Bomb costs Rs15, a packet of eight Barfi Bombs costs around Rs95, 10 colour bullets cost Rs450 and a rocket is sold for Rs120.

Petition seeking ban disposed of

A division bench of the Sindh High Court comprising Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Aftab Ahmed Gorar on Wednesday disposed of a petition seeking a ban on the manufacture and sale of fireworks after a statement by the city administration.

When the petition, filed by a local NGO, came up for hearing, city administration submitted that a ban has already been imposed on manufacture and sale of fireworks for a period of 15 days. A notification about the ban under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code was also placed on record.

A senior officer, appearing on behalf of Sindh police chief, also submitted that strict instructions have been issued to the Station House Officers and a FIR will be registered against the SHO in whose area of jurisdiction, the ban was violated. The bench after these statements disposed of the petition as having served its purpose.

The petitioner -- United Human Rights Commission of Pakistan -- raised the issue of use of firecrackers on Shab-e-Baraat. He maintained that although a formal ban was placed every year but police, the sole agency to enforce this ban, collaborates with manufacturers and sellers of fireworks. The accidents at places where fireworks are manufactured occur every year causing loss to life and property.

The petitioner also sought direction to the police authorities to enforce the ban strictly as use of fireworks for three to four days before and after the holy night .

Published in The Express Tribune, July 5^th, 2012.