Peshawar’s famous Board Bazaar was established in the 1980s after the arrival of Afghan refugees due to the Soviet-Afghan war
Authorities say many immigrants had occupied empty lots, railway land around the marketplace over the years, prompting action
PESHAWAR: Nangyal Shafi, a 37-year-old Afghan refugee living in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, was selling vegetables on his pushcart in the Board Bazaar market when the police arrived last week and threw his cart into a nearby canal. Shafi was among hundreds of other vendors and shopkeepers, mainly Afghans, who lost their livelihoods as a result of an anti-encroachment drive at the market, called ‘mini Kabul.’
The bazaar, which was established in the 1980s after the arrival of Afghan refugees due to the Soviet-Afghan war, wore a deserted look on Monday, with the smell of Afghan jalebi (funnel cake) and mantu (dumplings) gone after the authorities removed hundreds of vendors along with their pushcarts and kiosks.
Saturday’s anti-encroachment operation came as the latest blow to Afghans living in Pakistan ahead of a November 1 deadline announced by Islamabad for all illegal immigrants to leave the country, following deadly attacks in the Pakistan’s northwestern and southwestern regions that border Afghanistan.
The Pakistani government has also tightened its travel policy, which requires Afghan nationals to carry a valid passport and visa to cross the border into Pakistan. Previously, Islamabad had been practicing...
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