RAWALPINDI: His brow glistening with sweat, Jahangir Ahmed stood resolutely beside a fodder-cutting machine selling packets of crushed animal feed to hundreds of customers at his temporary stall, capitalizing on the three-day Muslim festival Eid Al-Adha which serves as a boon for business.
The streets of Rawalpindi come alive each year with temporary stalls that offer a range of tools and essential items related to animals and Eid festivities. The stalls, set up during the last 10 days before Eid Al-Adha, bring in a steady stream of customers, and with it, good business.
“For the past eight years, I have been setting up a special stall during the 10-day period before Eid-ul-Adha,” Ahmed, who works at a Tarpaulin shop in Rawalpindi's Raja Bazaar, told Arab News on Wednesday.
“I take leave from my work for two weeks to sell Eid-related items on this roadside stall including animal feed, utensils, ropes, harnesses, and decorations for the animals,” he said.
A woman is buying barbecue grill from a special stall in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on June 28, 2023. (AN photo)
Ahmed says the extra income helps him celebrate Eid with his children and take care of his expenses.
At a crockery shop located at Rawalpindi's Saidpur Road, Muhammad Shehzad has set up a special stall to make the most of the Eid Al-Adha festivities.
“I am selling a large variety of knives, kebab sticks, mats, and coal, catering to the needs of those preparing for the sacrificial ritual and indulging in the traditional barbecues,” Shehzad told Arab News.
A stall worker is sharpening a knife for a customer in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on June 28, 2023. (AN photo)
Pakistanis across the country serve sumptuous mutton and beef fishes during lavish feasts after the sacrifices are done. barbecue parties are a regular feature in almost every city in the country.
A steady stream of customers daily line up outside Shehzad's shop, as the demand for kebab sticks, barbeque grills and other items increases days before Eid Al-Adha.
“This surplus helps me provide my family with clothing and other Eid-related essentials, especially in the face of prevailing inflationary pressures,” he added.
Shamshad Ali, a hardware shop owner at Pandora Bazaar in Rawalpindi, also sets up a special stall offering a variety of items such as knives, mats, kabab sticks, and barbeque tools, including grills.
Ali says he sets up the stall every year before Eid Al-Adha for two primary reasons, adding that one of these was that the occasion holds special significance for Muslims and Pakistanis.
“Secondly, the stall serves as an additional source of income as people purchase these items for their animals and post-Eid meals, like barbecues, during the last 10 days,” he said.
