RAWALPINDI:
Record inflation and declining purchasing power have led to a sharp drop in political and social iftar gatherings across the city during Ramazan this year.
The long-standing tradition of organizing “30 iftars and 30 sehris” throughout the month has almost disappeared.
The prices of items used for sehri and iftar have risen to the point where they are beyond the purchasing power of many people. As a result, political and social iftar gatherings have declined significantly across the city. Government-sponsored iftar events have also been banned due to the severe financial crisis, putting an end to official social and political gatherings.
A large number of poor fasting individuals are now forced to break their fast at mosques and imambargahs.
The iftar schemes in government-run social markets only provide enough to break the fast and do not fully satisfy hunger.
For decades, the former interior minister and Awami Muslim League chief used to organize a regular program of 30 iftars and 30 sehris every Ramadan in Rawalpindi. The number of events decreased last year and this year the program has almost ended, with only a few token iftars arranged. Not a single political sehri program has been held in the first 15 days of Ramadan.
In the past two weeks, only a few low-key political iftar meetings have taken place in the city, and even those featured significantly reduced menus, limited to items such as chicken pakoras, naan and dates.
None of the major political parties – including the Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Muslim League-N, Pakistan Muslim League-Q, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Tehreek-e-Labbaik – have yet organized a large iftar for workers in the urban or cantonment areas.
In the past 15 days, only three political iftar events have been held in the city and cantonment and even they had a very limited number of guests, with many workers and local leaders not invited.
Workers who attended small iftar events organized by traders and social personalities along streets, near hospitals and in markets said they still have to arrange dinner even afterwards as the iftar meals are insufficient.
PPP city president Mian Khurram Rasool said a grand iftar for party workers would be organized soon after consultation with the management.
PML-N city president and former mayor Sardar Naseem Khan said the party would organize iftar gatherings in the city between 20 and 28 Ramadan.
Vice President of Food Catering Association Shaukat Ali confirmed that very few sehri and iftar orders have been received this year. “Earlier, we used to have no free time and all bookings were completed before the start of Ramadan,” he said, adding that inflation and political uncertainty were the main reasons for the decline.
President of the Hotels and Restaurants Association Farooq Chaudhry also said that there were virtually no sehri events this year and that iftar gatherings had declined sharply.
Longtime political workers Maqbool Khan and Chaudhry Ikram said that earlier workers were invited for iftar or sehri daily, but during the first two weeks of Ramadan this year, only one such gathering had been held.
Ramazan price rise defies control measures
RAWALPINDI: Measures introduced to control prices have proved largely ineffective as vendors in Rawalpindi’s open market have started charging arbitrary prices for beef, mutton, chicken, fruits and vegetables.
With the exception of potatoes, virtually all major food items have become more expensive and inflation has increased as Ramazan reaches its 17th day.
Adding to public concern, a significant rise in oil prices ahead of Eidul Fitr is expected to trigger another sharp inflation wave in the open market.
Seven days of the second 10 days (Ashra) of Ramazan have already passed, but all efforts made so far to curb rising prices in the open market have not yielded meaningful results. At present, bone-in beef is sold for Rs 1,400. per kilo, while boneless beef costs Rs 1,600. Mutton has reached Rs2,600 per kg and chicken is selling at Rs600 per kg.
Meanwhile, a dozen cleaned goat trotters are priced at Rs.2,600, while four cleaned ox trotters are sold at Rs.4,200. Butchers and poultry suppliers have actually set their own prices, with further increases expected as Eid approaches. A similar trend is visible in the fruit market. Apples are sold at Rs 550 per kg, bananas at Rs 280 per dozen, guavas at Rs 250 per kg, and kinnow at Rs 350 per dozen.
In the vegetable market, potatoes remain the only relatively affordable item, selling at Rs120 for five kilos, while prices of most other vegetables have increased during Ramazan.
Citizens have urged the authorities to take effective measures to curb the abnormal rise in food prices so that people can complete the remaining 13 days of fasting without further financial burden.
On the other hand, sellers dealing in meat, poultry, fruits and vegetables claim that they are forced to sell goods according to the prices at which they buy them, adding transport and operating costs along with a reasonable profit margin.
They also warn that the sharp rise in oil prices from 17 Ramazan is likely to further intensify inflationary pressures in the market.
Notably, the Punjab government had introduced strict price control measures this year, but these steps have so far failed to curb the rising cost of essential commodities.
