Moon Market shopkeepers demand compensation

The UN had declared the victims of terrorists attacks as the most neglected victims in the world today. This is true for Pakistan, where despite more than decade old history of terrorist bomb attacks in the cities, there is little recognition of their significance as urban disasters. They are erased from public memory faster than natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes. Moreover, forced displacements as a result of military warfare, such as in  NWFP, gained world wide attention as well as international aid. Whereas, the victims of urban disasters such as terrorist attacks are compensated largely on grounds of political expediency but not as matters of public policy. 


The response of victims of Moon Market tragedy underscores the need for evolving effective mechanisms for managing the process of compensation and rehabilitation work, to be carried out on long term basis. Financial compensations will not last long, more sustainable ways of offering help in medical, psychological, educational and employment  related matters should be developed.   


Daily Times
* Traders’ union president says losses estimated at Rs 30 million so far
* Stall owner says ‘nearly impossible’ for him to restart business on his own

By Rana Tanveer

LAHORE: Around 150 shops, including roadside stalls, were destroyed in the twin blasts at Moon Market causing a loss of around Rs 35 million to more than 160 shopkeepers, Moon Market Traders Union President Abdul Jabbar said on Wednesday.

Secretary General of the traders’ union, Arif Siddiqui, said they had registered 109 stallholders and 52 shopkeepers so far while around 25 shopkeepers have not been registered as yet. He said the losses could increase once all the shopkeepers had been registered.

Meanwhile, the blasts have burdened several small-scale shopkeepers with heavy loans after their shops were destroyed completely and they are now relying on the government to compensate their loss.

Some stall owners expressed helplessness while talking to Daily Times, saying they had recently started their business by taking loans from relatives. They said their goods, makeshift stalls and carts had been completely destroyed in the blast.

A toy stall owner said his business had burnt into ashes along with Rs 1 million that he had collected from a monthly committee from several traders of the area and was supposed to give it to one of them on the next day of the blast.

He said he did not know how he would be able to return the amount as he did not even own his house and his business had also been destroyed. To a question, he said the government could compensate his loss but no one would believe he had lost Rs 1 million in cash.

Impossible: Kamran Ahmed, a small-scale shopkeeper selling sweaters, said he had started his business only two months ago, adding that the day the blasts happened was his first day at work after Eid holidays. He said he had no source of income besides selling sweaters on a cart, adding it was nearly impossible to restart the business. Ahmed said he had already borrowed money from his brother-in-law to start the business, adding that there was no hope except the government’s help for earning for his family.

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