Eid shoppers turn busy Karachi street into marketplace

KARACHI: Normally a busy thoroughfare in the seaside city of Karachi, Abdullah Haroon Road, which runs through downtown Saddar, is closed to traffic as thousands flock to Zainab market for Eid shopping. As Eid Al Fitr inches closer, this and many other shopping centers in Karachi are open almost around the clock, closing for just a few hours before evening prayers. According to Atiq Mir, chairman of trade association All Karachi Tajir Ittehad, businesses in the city, which is the commercial capital of Pakistan, expect sales of about Rs100 billion in the days before Eid. Whatever, you need for a joyous holiday, there is a trader who can sell it to you, with jewelry, shoes, ready-made clothes and bangles proving especially popular.