The bombing, businesspeople said, appeared to confirm their worst suspicion -- that no place in Peshawar is safe.
"That was a nail in the coffin," said Mohammed Ishaq, vice president of Peshawar's chamber of commerce and owner of an adhesive tape plant in the city. "That made people really scared. We used to go there and feel so secure."
Since the government's offensive in the Swat Valley began in April, 25 companies have moved out of Peshawar, Ishaq said. Some went to Lahore, others to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Those that chose to stay have run into another problem: Workers aren't showing up for night shifts out of fear something could happen to them on their way to work.
"Factories in Peshawar don't have evening shifts anymore," Ishaq said.
At Sadar market, business owners say they can't hold on much longer. Ahmed's clothing store, Melody Garments, used to take in an average of $560 in sales daily. Now, he said, his store pulls in about $10 a day.
Next door, the sales at Tariq Javed's See and Select carpet shop have dropped by 75%.
"From morning to evening, there are no customers," Javed said angrily, as one of his workers sleepily leaned against a stack of rugs. "All the shop owners here sit idle all day. If this continues, we'll lose our business in a month."
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alex.rodriguez@latimes.com
