Fear of Talbi closing Internet cafe in Pakti

Taliban fear: cafés start removing cabins

Qaiser Khan Afridi

PESHAWAR: Following a spate of bomb blasts and police's instructions, net café owners have started removing cabins fitted inside their cafes. "After the directives, most of the net cafes located in Gulberg, Nothia and cantonment areas remained closed on the fifth consecutive day, while many of them have started removing small cabins providing secrecy to net users," an owner of the net café on condition of anonymity told The Post Sunday. He said, about 10 net cafés remained closed on the fifth consecutive day at Khyber Super Market alone, adding, that he had removed all the cabins providing privacy to the net users. Asked if the police had provided them with security, he said they did not receive any assurance on the part of police. "A night watchman at each plaza is the lone security guard provided to the net clubs with no gun and bomb detectors," he lamented. He said setting up a net cafe usually cost Rs 3 to 6 million and a net café earned Rs 1,000 to 1,200 on average daily. He said students are frequent users of the net clubs, as they take help for their education assignments while some people chatted with their relatives living abroad. About about porn sites and moves, he said such net clubs were very rare. "Obviously we will close our businesses in the wake of mounting threats," he said., adding the number of net users had reduced to a large extent that affected their business. Apart from all that, he said owners of various plazas had also asked the net club operators to wind up this risky business. The net clubs which have closed down are: Bani, Ibrar, High Tech, Generation Next. A police official told The Post that removing cabins inside net clubs was decided at a high-level meeting, saying, "It is better to take action our own before Taliban spring into action." SOURCE: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Taliban Closing a "Info war" vector by intimidation/fear. USA moving to slow. Gerald