Sunday, June 24th, 2012 | Posted by Blondie

Raid on music shop worries Afghan entertainment businesses

By Abdul Haleem, Chen Xin

KABUL, June 24 (Xinhua) — “Believe me, the blast in a music shop in Jalalabad reminds me of Taliban reign when the outfit destroyed music shops and entertainment instruments in Kabul some 15 years ago,” a street vendor Qadir said to Xinhua on Sunday.

Selling CDs, DVDs and audio cassettes along the famous Nadir Pashtun Street in the Afghan capital city Kabul, Qadir said that attack on the music shop in Jalalabad had affected the business here in Kabul as some of the fellow CDs sellers were afraid of similar attacks here.

At least four people were injured in the blast which took place near a music shop in Jalalabad city, the capital of Nangarhar province 120 km east of capital Kabul on Saturday, according to officials.

“A bomb planted by militants went off near a music shop in Jalalabad city at around 3:20 p.m. local time Saturday damaging several nearby shops,” a police official confirmed without revealing his name.

He also blamed the attack on the Taliban militants, saying the Taliban insurgents are going to implement their old policies, a reference to Taliban restriction put in place during their six- year reign, which collapsed in late 2001.

Meantime, the four injured had been taken to Jalalabad hospital for medical treatment, head of provincial health department, Baz Mohammad Shirzad said.

However, two of the injured men, according to local media reports, have died from their wounds.

“We had audio and video cassettes and television shop but the Taliban after overrunning Kabul some 15 years ago attacked our shop and destroyed all the audio and video cassettes and television sets inside the shop,” Qadir recalled.

Although no groups or individuals have claimed responsibility for the attack on the music shop, officials and locals pointed finger at the enemies of peace, a reference used by functionaries against Taliban insurgents.

“Since listening to music, producing cassettes, CDs and its distribution has been regarded as a sin in the eyes of Taliban and the outfit had outlawed music during its reign, we can say that the Taliban loyalists are behind targeting music shops in Jalalabad,” a resident of Jalalabad city Hayatullah told Xinhua.

Taliban militants during their rule in Afghanistan which collapsed in late 2001 had banned music and all other entertainments including watching television and stage shows.

The attack on music shop in Jalalabad took place just one day after a raid on a rest house in Qarga Lake in the west edge of Kabul, in which gun battle lasted for 11 hours, with Taliban outfit having claimed responsibility for the attack, 23 people were killed including five attackers, and five others injured.

Music and other entertainments, including theatre and cinema, have been greatly developed in the post-Taliban Afghanistan. Almost in every street and roadside hotel in Afghan cities, music is blaring.

Audio cassettes, CDs, and DVDs containing western and Indian movies are sold openly on the streets.

JALALABAD, Afghanistan, June 23 (Xinhua) — At least four people were injured Saturday in a blast near a music shop in Jalalabad, capital city of eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, officials said.

“Four injured men were admitted to a provincial capital hospital this afternoon,” head of provincial health department, Baz Mohammad Shirzad, told Xinhua, adding the injured were in serious condition. Full story

Special Report: Afghanistan Situation