The Prime Minister has announced all out war against the militants in NWFP. The army has asked all people living in Buner and Swat regions to leave the area until the fighting stops. These innocent people have all moved to Peshawar and other main cities of NWFP. The militants had already made life difficult for businesses in the NWFP with daily threats, kidnappings and extortion that were going on almost openly in our cities. The arrival of the so-called IDPs has added a new danger to our civic life. The government of Pakistan had indirectly offered to declare NWFP a 'war-hit region' with reduction in taxes and custom duties on many products and that would have provided some relief to the businesses here. But, unfortunately, the government failed in delivering on its promises and so far no incentives have been offered to businesses in NWFP. We have to compete with businesses from Punjab and Sindh, two flourishing regions for business because of their relative peace and better law and order. If the government does not act quickly to provide relief and incentives to businesses in NWFP, many of them would close down permanently very soon which in turn would increase lawlessness even further. Some relief to businesses here is a must now. -SHAHRYAR KHAN BASEER, Peshawar, via e-mail, May 12.