MINGORA: Public transporters in Swat district on Saturday received threatening letters by unidentified people, believed to be Taliban militants, asking them to remove “obscene” photographs and stop playing music in their vehicles or their vehicles would be blown up.The threatening pamphlets were delivered at the Matta Bus Stand here and the short warning for the transporters stated: “Stop playing music and remove obscene photos from your vehicles or face bomb attacks.” Unidentified militants on Wednesday blew up six music shops in Ishaq Market and partially damaged 20 nearby shops and three houses after distribution of threatening letters in the area warning the shop owners to stop the “un-Islamic” business.
Non-government organisations (NGOs) have already shut their offices in the region after receiving threatening letters, while representatives of pharmaceutical companies have stopped wearing trousers in the Swat Valley after the militants warned them to wear local dresses.
Barbers have displayed big posters in front of their shops stating, “Un-Islamic activities like shaving and western hair fashion are forbidden.” Unidentified militants had warned the barbers a few weeks ago to stop shaving customers otherwise their shops would be bombed.
Meanwhile, unidentified people have also distributed letters in Khawaza Khela Bazaar in Swat warning women not to shop in the market because it was against Pashtun and Islamic norms. The letter said that the bazaar was located near a shrine and business activity by men and women would amount to its desecration. They warned that the bazaar would be bombed if women were not stopped from coming there.