Our Correspondent Mirpur
As the countdown to Eid ul Fitr is close to its conclusion, markets across Azad Jammu Kashmir, including the densely-populated Mirpur district, wore a festive look these days as people came out in large number at the last leg of their Eid shopping – despite the SOPs advised by the authorities to avert threat of the fast-spread of COVID-19 in this ongoing era of the pandemic the world over especially in South Asia.
Residents use to throng the markets in major cities including the State’s metropolis Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Kotli, Bhimbher, Rawalakot, Palandri, Bagh to buy groceries, clothes, shoes and edibles.
Eid-ul-Fitr which marks the end of Holy month of Ramazan is likely to be celebrated in AJK on May 13/14, subject to the sighting of Shawaal moon.
The APP AJK correspondent Altaf Hamid Rao reports on Saturday from Mirpur, the ancestral city of over a million of UK-based Kashmiri expatriates, the business hub Shaheed Chowk, F/1, Naangi and Allama Iqbal Road in the city witnessing a heavy rush of shoppers, leading to traffic chaos on all major routes.
Traffic wardens had a tough time managing the traffic particularly since past few days
Although the pandemic was found at rapid raise in AJK since past many weeks, it appeared that thumping majority of the masses was found without wearing mask during the Eid shopping in various AJK cities particularly since Monday last as only a couple of weeks were left in arrival of the Holly festival of Eid ul Fitr scheduled to be celebrated on August 1st across the country and AJK.
At the same time, the local law enforcement authorities are hecticly engaged in getting the masses strictly observed the SOPs during the Eid shopping to discourage harm to the lives by the rising life threat to the continual increase spread of the pandemic in the area.
However, the same markets gave deserted look on Friday and Saturday following the weekly two days smart lock downs – set for every Friday and Saturday by AJK Government in drive to overcome rising threat of the Novel Corona Virus to the human lives.
On normal days, the residents throng the markets in major cities including the State’s metropolis Muzaffarabad, Mirpur, Kotli, Bhimbher, Rawalakot, Palandri, Bagh to buy groceries, clothes, shoes and edibles.
In Mirpur, the ancestral city of over a million of UK-based Kashmiri expatriates, the business hub Shaheed Chowk, F/1.
