War and Local Economy: Imprints of Violent Conflict on Batkhela Bazaar1

Muhammad Ayub Jan & Shahida Aman

Abstract:
The ongoing war against terrorism in various parts of Pakistan has been
studied from different dimensions. Most of the studies investigate it from
security or political perspective; however some study it from macro-economic
perspective. There are limited attempts to investigate it from micro-economic
perspective of how in smaller localities (such as Batkhela) the war has
impacted socio-economic lives of the people. Bazaars being the sites of
economic activities, in these localities, offer interesting case studies to
investigate the impact of war on local economies. This study investigates the
impacts of war on Batkhela bazaar, which is central to the socio-economic life
of the Batkhela City. The study finds out that the war has incurred losses on
different strata of the society. The study also reveals that businessmen with
their innovativeness tried alternative means to deal with these crises.
Moreover, the war has also influenced the relationship between the bazaar
representatives and the state agencies. Particularly, the study discovered the
growing role of security agencies in facilitating the solution of various
problems of the bazaar.

Keywords: War, Local, Economy, Imprints, Violent, Conflict, Batkhela.