Off track: Railway line, a haven for hoaxes and hakims

The kilometre-long strip along the track is famous for cheap, stolen goods.

PESHAWAR:

The railway line situated near Hashtnagari is a commercial hub for both legal and illegal activity. One can find everything from new and used electrical appliances to hakims or traditional physicians selling homemade medicines on this one-kilometre strip along the railway track.

The market is especially crowded on Fridays when a weekly fair is held. Customers throng the area, leaving little space to maneuver between the sea of people, while groups of youth engage in egg fights – a popular source of entertainment.

Most of the goods on sale at this market are said to be stolen. Tape recorders, washing machines, old computers, used clothes, shoes, vegetables, fruits, different types of birds, bicycles, etc are all on display.

Cellular phone dealers walk around the market with their hands full of different models of mobile phones. “This market is the only place where I sell used mobiles and earn more than Rs1,000 per day. Especially on Mondays, a lot of people visit the railway line,” said Salman Shah, adding that he has a few contacts who sell the phones to him.

The market is also popular for all types of Indian, English and Pashto movies. Wads of DVDs are displayed along the railway track, while huge movie posters can be seen hanging in front of the stalls to lure the youth.

Dozens of Hakims spell out the effectiveness of their homemade medicines to villagers. Though most are not really doctors and the medicines they sell are spurious, they claim their remedies can cure any type of illness.

It is not only a popular shopping spot for residents of the city. Many villagers from rural areas are attracted by the cheaper prices too.

Lack of regulation, however, means the goods are often substandard and counterfeit. Some people purchase extravagant boxes, only to find nothing of any real value inside them.

“They (vendors) are experts in deceiving people, mostly those who come from rural areas and are really naïve,” said Afzal Khan, who has been working at one of the stalls for years. He added that everyone knows they can’t buy quality products, but still rush to the area.

Khan alleged the illegal activity takes place right under the nose of the police, who patrol the area regularly. He maintained vendors paid extortion money to concerned officials, who otherwise confiscate pushcarts and force them to leave the area.

He also accused the police of mooching off fruits and vegetables from vendors, adding that those who refuse to comply are beaten up and thrown out of the market.

An official of the tehsil municipal authority, Rasul Jan said the government started an anti-encroachment drive last year and cleared a large portion of the railway junction. He, however, said some of the destroyed shops have been erected again in the shape of makeshift stalls.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 3^rd, 2013.