Islamabad, Sep 14 : A number of women shoppers in Pakistan have come out with complaints that eve teasing is on the rise in markets and bazaars, and that the police enjoy watching it happening.

With Eid just around the corner, the markets and bazaars are crowded with shoppers, but there are hardly any policemen to control the crowd, and to see that men visiting the areas are accompanied by females.

A majority of eve teasing and purse-snatching cases have gone unreported, as families dislike visiting the police stations not only to save their reputation, but also to save themselves from police harassment.

According to the police data last week over 20 women were deprived of handbags and shopping bags.

Young men start walking with families in the crowded Moti Bazaar and tease women, especially young girls, who felt shy to bring such incidents to the notice of their family members.

Tench Bazaar had already been encroached by the stallholders and the Eid rush had added to the problems of the Eid shoppers.

"A group of young men gathered around a stall of fake jewellery and bangles at Commercial Market, Satellite Town, and harassed girls, and this is a common practice," the Daily Times quoted Adeeba as saying.

She said if someone wanted to lodge a complaint, they had to search for the police giving enough time to the eve teasers to escape from the scene.

A woman shopper, who was visiting a Bank Road shopping centre, complained that male police officials deployed at the bazaar and markets also enjoyed seeing women teased, chased and harassed.

A police official said that City Police Officer (CPO) Rao Muhammad Iqbal had directed the Cantonment Police Station to set up a public complaint cell on Bank Road for quick action on complaints.

He said three policewomen had been deployed at each gate of Moti Bazaar to check the entry of men, however, the plain fact was that not a single policeman was seen at any gate.