Some forces active to destroy Pakistan, Afghanistan & Iran: Governor NWFP

[Naveed Yaseen]

Assures Peshawar traders of all help

Thursday, November 12, 2009
Riaz Khan Daudzai

PESHAWAR: NWFP Governor Owais Ghani said Wednesday that some forces were active in the region to destroy Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan but they would never succeed.The governor was responding to a question from a former mayor of Peshawar, Saeed Ahmad Jan, who had asked him to name the enemy against whom the entire nation was pitched in a difficult war.

The former mayor was part of the delegation of traders who called on the governor to apprise him of the traders’ hardships in the wake of the bomb blasts in the city’s business centres.Tajir Ittehad Peshawar, a conglomerate of five bodies of the traders, called on the governor and informed him of their grievances and losses suffered in the recent terror attacks.

The delegation comprised Haji Ghufran, chairman, Tajir Ittehad Peshawar, Haji Haleem Jan, Sherzada Khan Faraz and Malik Mehr Ilahi of Action Committee Peshawar, Shaukatullah Hamdard of Rabita Committee Tajiran Peshawar, Khalid Ayub of Tajiran-e-University Road, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Saeed Ahmed Jan.

Presidents of the three bazaars — Meena Bazaar, Koochi Bazaar and Chiri Koban — Liaqat Ali, Malik Zahoor Ilahi and Tariq Haideri were also part of the delegation. The three bazaars were shattered by a powerful car bomb blast on October 28 that killed 122 people and injured 245. The bodies of 14 people are still missing and are believed to have died.

Three provincial ministers, Syed Zahir Ali Shah, Bashir Ahmed Bilour and Syed Aqil Shah, who belong to prominent business families of Peshawar, accompanied the traders.The traders called for establishing trauma centre, crisis management cell and early payment of financial assistance to the traders, who had suffered material losses.

The sources privy to meeting said the former mayor of Peshawar, Saeed Ahmed Jan, asked the governor to identify those playing havoc with the lives and properties of the people. He said this when the governor said the nation was in a state of war.

Without naming any country, the governor said three forces were active in the region and wanted to destroy Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. But they could not harm Pakistan.The traders also drew attention of the governor towards the delay in the payment of compensation to the persons affected in the blasts and said that the victims of the Muhammad Ali Johar Road blast that occurred some eleven months ago were still awaiting compensation.

They sought interest-free loans for the traders whose businesses had been destroyed and their utility bills should also be waived off if the government could not compensate them forthwith.The governor said Federal Minister Shaukat Tareen was working on a package for the province and the provincial government was in contact with the Centre to get NWFP declared war-affected.

Malik Mehr Ilahi told The News that traders urged the governor to take up their case with the federal government and raise the compensation amount.The governor assured the traders that he would approach Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, President Asif Ali Zardari, Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti and provincial ministers to contribute to the trust fund set up by him.

He asked the traders to form a committee to assess the damage and submit report to him so that the entire process could be made transparent. He also established a trust with Rs5 million to help the victims of the terror attacks in the city.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=208122