LAHORE: Pakistanis began celebrating the holy month of Ramadan yesterday with police on alert and shopkeepers braced for a slump in trade after the worst bombing in the city for two years.
Five people were killed and 50 wounded on Saturday in the Anarkali market in Pakistan’s second largest city, known for its fine cuisine, much loved during Iftaar.
It was the worst bombing in Lahore since a teenage suicide attacker targeted a Shia religious procession on January 25, 2011, killing nine people.
The market is back at work, but has little of the normal hustle and bustle associated with Ramadan, when families shop for special food and dine out in evenings.
People are scared. “We’re afraid. These blasts are intended to disrupt the peace of the city,” said Wajid Hussain, 50, who runs a hotel and restaurant in the same street where the bomb went off.
Traders say business has fallen nearly 50 percent since the bombing in Lahore, the home city of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
“Many people died, dozens injured, they lost their eyes, limbs, this is the biggest act of cruelty in my mind,” said Abdul Ghafoor, 50, who sells clothes. “The rush has gone down. People have stopped coming to the market. Business is down almost by half.”
Lahore saw a rash of bombings in 2010, but attacks in the city of 12 million are relatively isolated compared with the business hub Karachi and Taliban-plagued parts of the northwest.
Militancy is a major challenge facing the government but cross-party talks originally scheduled for today on how to crack down on the violence have been delayed.
Police say they have stepped up patrols for Ramadan to protect markets and shrines, with threats on the rise in the coming weeks.
“The blast is significant in the sense that the terrorists show the world that even the peaceful and largest province in the country is not stable,” said senior officer Rai Tahir. “Three thousand policemen have been deployed for Ramadan duty. An additional 2,000 are there for the markets and other security-related duties.”
Security has also been stepped up at the well-known Data Darbar shrine, where suicide bombers killed more than 40 people in July 2010.
“The number of visitors to the shrine doubles in Ramadan. Lots of people come, especially in the last 10 days of the month,” said its Manager, Abdul Qayum.
The provincial government in Punjab, which is headed by Sharif’s younger brother Shahbaz, has promised to be tough on terror. “The government is determined to tackle terrorism seriously,” Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said.
“We are focusing on an improved strategy to keep an eye on local elements and facilitators who give support to such terrorists.” But people are determined to enjoy the month, a time for prayer and charity, as well as celebration with friends and family.
“We hope that with the kind of security they give us now, this kind of incident will not be repeated,” said Hussain.
“Wherever a blast occurs people start living in fear. Thank God there was no incident earlier and this is the first time this has happened in a long time.”
Agencies
