Ishq-e-Rasool Day riots: 7 days later...

Peshawar witnessed some of the worst rioting in its modern history last week.

PESHAWAR: The city witnessed some of the worst rioting in its modern history last week. Remains of the chaos are still visible. Stained buildings and workers renovating destroyed infrastructure serve as a constant reminder to the violence that ensued last Friday.

The charred Firdous Cinema is undergoing repairs, while the boundary wall of the Chacha Younas Park is being reconstructed. Travelling through the Hashtangri-Firdous Chowk, one can see the once-sturdy iron grills missing from a large portion of the GT Road. Although much of the debris and litter has been removed, the city remains scarred by the violent outbursts on that fateful day. The Express Tribune has compiled data on the damages inflicted to the city and cases filed since then.

FIRs filed

1. Hashtnagri Police Station: Eleven people have been charged for torching cinemas, hotels, a family park and the KPCCI building. The accused include four activists of Pasban, one member of Sipah-e-Sahaba and a transporters union leader. They have been booked under section 302, 324, 341, 353, 352, 427 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

2. East Cantt Police Station: Four people have been charged, including the president of Muttahida Ulmae Council and an ex-nazim of Nothia union council

3. Michni Gate Police Station: An FIR has been registered against a Jamaat-e-Islami member, who led 4,000 protesters and attacked a Banking Court on Shami Road near Hassan Garhi.

4. University Town: Cases have been filed against unidentified men

5. West Cantt police station: FIRs have been registered against unidentified people

Published in The Express Tribune, September 28^th, 2012.