Targeted: Three shops gutted in Mathra

PESHAWAR: At least three mobile shops were set ablaze by unidentified men night within the jurisdiction of Mathra police station on Friday. According to police, the shops were targeted because they were the only ones in the area that sold phone ringtones and memory cards. “The shops were owned by Suleman, Noor Muhammad and Asif,” said a police official. “Two of them were burnt to ashes, while the third was only partially damaged.” He added a local cleric had repeatedly warned the shopowners to close down their businesses. The cleric fled the area soon after the incident. “Petrol bombs were thrown on the shops,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 8^th, 2015.