A wide net : Extortionists prey on small fry after rich businessmen flee

Elders in FR Peshawar say even cobblers told to pay Rs20,000 a month.

PESHAWAR:

Setting up shop in Bazzargai at the start of the day, even the cobbler is filled with dread as he thinks of ways to fork up Rs20,000 demanded by some very dangerous people.

Elders in Frontier Region (FR) Peshawar told The Express Tribune extortionists would previously target maliks and wealthy businessmen. However, with most of them now in the relative safety of Peshawar city, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Karachi, extortionists have lowered their standards and target anyone and everyone.

Poor shopkeepers, who can barely make ends meet, are often threatened with dire consequences if they fail to meet the demands of these criminals, said the elders.

“We don’t know whether these are militants or opportunistic criminals who collect money from poor people,” said a malik from Hassan Khel. “Shopkeepers have been told to pay Rs20,000 on a monthly basis.” He suspected local criminals and not militants were responsible for extorting small-time traders as militants tend to deal in the millions not the thousands. But, he said, little can be done as the writ of the government does not exist in the ‘frontier’ region.

“Militants don’t permanently stay in the area; sometimes they come in groups to certain areas and disappear soon after, but extortion continues unabated,” said the malik.

“An influential malik from Miam Khel, a sub-clan of the Hassan Khel sub-tribe, was asked to pay Rs10 million by militants,” said another tribal elder. “Later, the amount was negotiated to Rs1.7 million.”

The malik left for Peshawar city after making the payment and had been one of the few remaining elders in the area.

“If you want a domicile attested, it is very difficult because maliks have not only left the area, but also the province for Karachi and Lahore.”

In June, last year, unidentified gunmen killed tribal elder Malik Dawa Khan and his driver in Mandi Chowk.

Malik Dawa was from Jina Kor clan of FR Peshawar and had angered militants when he refused to pay Rs3 million in extortion.

Jina Kor had called a jirga a day before his death and it was decided no extortion money would be paid. The parents of those joining militant groups would be held responsible for their sons’ actions, the jirga had said.

Its decision resulted in strained relations between the clan and militants, possibly resulting in the murder of the tribal elder. Another elder, requesting anonymity, said, “[Malik Dawa Khan] was an important man for the clan as he united us against militants.”

A year later, in June 2014, Hazarat Gul, the cousin of Malik Dawa Khan was kidnapped from Shami Road. He was a resident of Sama Badhaber and belonged to the Jina Kor clan.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 8^th, 2014.

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