LAHORE, PAKISTAN — The fact that erotic content is available in Pakistan likely comes as a shock to most Americans, although the fact that there are powerful forces at work to make sure that there is no porn in Pakistan probably comes as no surprise. Shop keepers in Punjab province’s capital city of Lahore are so concerned about those powerful forces that they recently burned thousands of CDs in the hopes of avoiding violence from them.
“We have received letters from unidentified persons, presumably Taliban or their local supporters, who warned us to immediately close down this business,” shopkeeper Taseer Ahmed explained to IslamOnline.net.

Taseer, like many others, has been selling CDs at the famous Hall Road market for years. After the letters, the street was filled not with bustling trade, but with billowing black smoke, as sellers frantically disposed of potentially dangerous stock, most of which featured sexual content.

“You all are informed to close down this abhorrent business immediately, otherwise you will solely be responsible for the further consequences,” one of the letters stated, adding that those consequences included “blowing up your shops.”

Taseer assured IslamOnline that the letters had done their work, frightening the shopkeepers into compliance. “You cannot simply rule out the possibility of bombings here, especially when no part of the country is safe,” he observed.

Explosions in a number of music and CD shops have provided vendors with proof that the Northwestern Frontier Province is not safe from violent and suppressive elements, inspiring many musicians and singers to flee the area after receiving what they believe are Taliban threats.

According to Taseer, the government of Pervez Musharraf had mostly turned a blind eye to the sale of pornographic CDs, but as the Taliban gains power in the region, merchants have no one to protect them from their promises of retribution.

“I admit that I am doing this because of the pressure,” Taseer said. “If this had not been the case, I would have continued my business.”

Another seller, Furqan Ahmad, agrees, pointing out that “We don’t think that the government is capable of providing protection to us when it cannot protect itself.”

After receiving the letters, shopkeepers and traders met to develop a united response, which included speaking with the police and local administration, neither of which chose to visit. Ahmad says that eventually police explained that with a population of 10 million and a police force of 20,000, there was no one available to provide consistent security for the merchants.

“When the government itself is struggling against Taliban,” Ahmad observed pragmatically, “who will pay attention towards common traders like us?”