KARACHI: In the hour before sunset during Ramadan, the roads of Karachi, Pakistan’s bustling economic heart, become choked with cars as people rush home in time to break their fast with their families.
Exasperated drivers beep their horns extra loudly and try to cut through the gridlock, and there are more accidents than usual as a whole day without food or water dulls concentration, shortens tempers and tests the Ramadan virtues of patience and moderation.
For those unlucky enough to miss breaking the fast altogether as they stand stuck in traffic, roadside volunteers offering iftar sustenance are a welcome sight.
Amid the daily tumult at iftar time in Karachi, a unique tradition has persisted, with individuals distributing dates, drinks and snacks at roadsides, roundabouts and traffic lights as soon as the evening prayer call echoes through the air, ensuring that people delayed by the commute can still break their fast at the right time.
“Those travelers who cannot reach home, those who belong to the working class, or are doing jobs, for them we stand on various roads, at various places, in gardens, on M.A Jinnah Road, and at the last minute, we give them iftar,” said Danish Chohan, who is among hundreds of volunteers who distribute iftar boxes to commuters in Karachi daily.
Volunteers distribute iftar during Ramadan in Karachi, Pakistan on April 2, 2024. (AN photo)
Apart from water bottles and dates, the boxes often contain bananas or other fruits for instant energy as well as the popular South Asian samosa snack.
Sabir Ali Katpar, a security guard by profession, said he had been providing roadside iftar to people for the last 15 years with the assistance of friends.
“Whatever [food] we have, it is given by Allah,” he told Arab News ahead of iftar this week as he cut fruits into boxes on a roadside. “You can see here that vehicles are passing us by at a lot of speed, but people are still unable to reach their homes. So, we distribute iftar, giving it to everyone in these vehicles, both rich and the poor.”
Zulfiqar Ahmed, a commuter who broke his iftar at Karachi’s Fowara Chowk, appreciated the tradition.
“These people are doing a great job,” he said as he took an iftar box from a volunteer. “They provide this to travelers on the way, to rickshaw drivers and others. Almost everyone is a traveler. They break their fast and leave.”
Chohan said he was doing this for the blessings.
“We feel very happy as they take them [the boxes],” he said as he handed out water bottles. “They leave us with prayers, and we need those prayers, those prayers continue to benefit us.”
