Zubair Qureshi
With Eidul Fitr closing in, bazaars and markets in Islamabad as well as the garrison city are seeing an overwhelming number of shoppers especially with the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions after a gap of two years.
During the previous two years, the twin cities did not receive a good number of shoppers and there was no hustle and bustle in markets due to pandemic with lockdown imposed before the religious festival.
However, now the people have heaved a sigh of relief with the National Command & Operation Centre (NCOC) announcing last month that they were ending all Covid-19 restrictions besides dismantling the NCOC itself.
Eid shopping is at its peak as women are seen visiting shops to buy various items ranging from clothes to bangles. Shopkeepers have illuminated their shops and stalls with multi-coloured lights and decoration pieces to attract the buyers.
In Karachi Company G-9/4, F-10 Markaz, Aabpara Market and the posh F-6 (Super) and F-7 (Jinnah Super) markets one could see families thronging the stalls, particularly young girls buying bangles and getting mehndi designs imprinted on their palms.
Makeshift stalls have popped up in every market with glitzy bangles and glittering jewellery. Even in small streets and sectors, shops are keeping bangle boxes handy to meet the local demand.
This hustle and bustle will be picking up in the days to come as Eid shopping spree has caught the twin cities’ dwellers, said a shopkeeper Imtiaz in Karachi company while talking to Pakistan Observer.
This is good not only for the customers that they can enjoy the Eid joys, it is also a great support for the small shopkeepers from daily wage workers to stall holders and shopkeepers as they can make some money for their families and children, he said.
In Rawalpindi too, people are caught in a shopping spree and makeshift shops and stalls are thronged by customers in Raja Bazaar, Moti Bazaar, Saddar, Commercial and other markets of the garrison city.
Mostly people visited markets after Iftar and the shops remain open till late at night.
A shopkeeper said people had started visiting bazaars late at night for the last two or three days. He said mostly people opted for less expensive items and were not ready to go for quality products as their rates had increased much.
Some people said they would not visit Saddar and Raja Bazaar for shopping due to the congestion and lack of parking space created by encroachments. He said a lot of money was wasted on petrol because of the traffic rush on roads.
However, according to some shopkeepers in Rawalpindi markets, besides the real shoppers there are some who are not interested in shopping and mostly do window shopping in the evening. They also cause traffic blocks and crowds in the markets,
