Bachelor Phobia in Peshawar

The stereotyped view of a bachelor as a potential threat to families in the neighborhood continues to grow as Peshawar city is increasingly being stressed under the torrents of students and workforce coming to the city from many parts of the province. House owners in all residential areas are averse to bachelors (needless to remind that it refers to unmarried males, mostly young) and would not let their houses to males who are not accompanied by a family (i.e. female members of the family). This attitude is costing these young students, and other bachelors, a lot of trouble.

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In Peshawar, bachelors are mainly concentrated in the areas proximal to the University of Peshawar, especially in Shaheen Town where a number of bachelor hostels serve to accommodate them. Most of these hostels are usually lacking in facilities, proper sanitation, and orderliness of management. Rooms are stuffed with at least three persons per room; some rooms having five or even more inhabitants. But this does not solve the problem of social hostility toward bachelorhood. Since last year (2007), locals have started to set police crackdowns on bachelor hostels, evacuating the hostels forcibly. The common pretext for such an evacuation is that of sexual harassment by one or more of the hostel dwellers.

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In some areas of the city, like the Canal Town (close to the University of Peshawar), people may show willingness to let their houses to bachelors, though demanding a high amount in advance. To get a house, bachelors are now entering as groups of 4 to 8 (or more) persons who jointly rent a house for an advanced amount of 50, 000 rupees (in some cases even more). The rent of bachelor hostels is also increasing steadily from an average of 1300 rupees per head in 2006 to 1700 rupees per head currently. Some hostels have also imposed the rule that their residents necessarily join hostel mess and pay the dues for food provided at the hostel. This has added to the burden of bachelors staying in these hostels, while also limiting their freedom of choice.

Some house owners, particularly in Hayatabad, have now secretly started letting their houses to be used as ‘mini bachelor hostels’ as it brings greater profit than letting these to families. To secure the position of the dwellers, hostel regulations require a quiet and asocial life style, so as not to catch the attention of the neighborhood. Sending even minor ripples in the calm of ‘social receptors’ can mean a life on the streets of the city. This generalized anxiety about bachelors in the neighborhood is becoming a major issue for students and workers who can’t afford to bring their families to Peshawar, or choose not to do so.