World

In the rent-a-loan business, you can pay but you can never leave

Alamgeer Khan appears in a white shalwar kameez with a waistcoat at Quetta Chai Cafe near Jamali Pul in Ayub Goth. He parks his motorcycle and takes his spot. The waiter brings the usual: green tea with ginger. Alamgeer makes a few entries in small diaries and a few phone calls. After the cup is drained, he starts on the roster of visits. They are rarely pleasant. The fifty-five-year-old would rather euphemistically introduce himself as a businessman involved in financing than the less elegant ‘