Peshawar: Terrorism incidents fail to deter Eid shopping spree

[Naveed Yaseen]

by Qaiser Khan Afridi
PESHAWAR: Though the deadliest suicide blast in Islamabad stirred panic and fear among the people across the country, it did not deter the dwellers of Peshawar from Eid shopping and people continued shopping Sunday.

It is a bitter fact that life does not stop even as when dozens were wreathing in pain at Marriott Hotel Islamabad, shopping in Peshawar was in full swing and people remained enthusiastic about festival’s preparations.

According to the buyers and shopkeepers, the people of Pakistan, particularly of NWFP and tribal areas, were now used to such bomb blasts and unrest. Since 10 days are left to Eid, the shopping activities are gaining momentum with each passing day as a large number of men and women are visiting various markets.

Leading shopping centers of the city as well as brand outlets have begun registering an encouraging turnout of customers besides various commercial buildings on University Road and Saddar Bazaar have been illuminated and decorated to attract the customers. The shopkeepers have displayed a variety of dresses, embroideries, new designs of clothes and shoes. Rush is being witnessed at bangles, jewellery and artificial jewellery shops in various bazaars.

According to the shopkeepers, people hailing from the adjacent areas and other districts are doing shopping in daytime while the locals often come out at night. They said some people had already completed their Eid shopping, while majority of them would start coming out in the last days of Ramazan.

Most of the city’s upscale area people have already completed their shopping for Eid. However, the people from other areas, especially the salaried class, were still midway through their Eid shopping or are yet to start, waiting for salaries to be disbursed on September 25.

Hazrat Hussain, a shopkeeper in Saddar bazaar while talking to The News said the poor law and order coupled with inflation had affected the business activities to some extent. However, when this correspondent drew his attention towards the crowd, he said all of them were not buyers there were window-shoppers also. Moreover, he condemned the bomb blasts in the country in which innocent people were being killed. “A Muslim cannot kill another Muslim and those who are carrying out such acts can never be called Muslims,” he said.

Mohammad Nisar, a university student, who had come to Saddar for shopping, while pointing towards the crowd, said perhaps the Peshawarities had become used to the bomb blasts and poor law and order situation. Similarly, he said, a child would be satisfied only when his or her parents would get him or her the desired stuff for Eid for which their parents have to come out for shopping.

Mujeeb Ali, a shopkeeper in the main Saddar Bazaar, said their profit margin had been lowered compared to the past years due to the fragile economy of the country in general and the province in particular. He said during Eid days, their sales were satisfactory as the people bought things for their children irrespective of the cost.

Riaz Ahmed, a shopper, criticised the shopkeepers saying they were exploiting them by selling things at high rates. However, the traders on the other hand insisted that there had not been major raise in the prices. “Our prices are more or less the same they were last month,” they said.

Moreover, the University Road area over the years has got lavish markets and shopping malls catering to the rich class. Imran Khan, at shopping centre of University Road, told The News that businesses on the University Road had a clientele and the present economic situation had not reduced their clients. “Majority of the customers who visit the University Road area are from the well-off backgrounds and the economic uncertainty has yet to affect them,” he said.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=137303