RAWALPINDI:
Record inflation and declining purchasing power have led to a sharp drop in political and social iftar gatherings across the city during this year’s Ramadan.
The old tradition of organizing “30 iftars and 30 sehris” throughout the month has almost disappeared.
The prices of items used for sehri and iftar have increased to the point that they are beyond the purchasing power of many people. As a result, political and social iftar gatherings have significantly decreased across the city. Government-funded 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 people are now forced to break their fast in mosques and imambargahs.
Iftar arrangements at government-run social markets only provide enough to break the fast and do not fully satisfy hunger.
For decades, the former home minister and Awami Muslim League chief used to organize a regular program of 30 iftars and 30 sehris every Ramadan in Rawalpindi. Last year the number of events decreased and this year the program has almost ended, with only a few symbolic iftars organized. 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 gatherings have been held in the city, and even those offered significantly reduced menus, limited to dishes such as chicken pakoras, naan and dates.
None of the major political parties – including Pakistan People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League-N, Pakistan Muslim League-Q, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and Tehreek-e-Labbaik – have yet organized a grand iftar for workers in the city or cantonment areas.
In the last 15 days, only three political iftar events have been held in the city and cantonment, and even those had a very limited number of guests, with many local workers and leaders not invited.
Workers who attend small iftar events organized by traders and socialites along the streets, near hospitals and in markets said they still have to organize dinner themselves afterwards as the iftar meals are insufficient.
PPP city president Mian Khurram Rasool said a grand iftar would be organized soon for party workers after consultation with the leadership.
PML-N city president and former mayor Sardar Naseem Khan said the party would organize iftar meetings in the city between the 20th and 28th of Ramadan.
Catering Association vice-president Shaukat Ali confirmed that very few orders for sehri and iftar have been received this year. “Before we had 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.
Hotel and Restaurant Association president Farooq Chaudhry also said there were virtually no sehri events this year and iftar gatherings had declined sharply.
Maqbool Khan and Chaudhry Ikram, veteran political workers, said that in the past workers were invited to iftar or sehri daily, but during the first two weeks of Ramadan this year only one such gathering had been held.
Ramazan price hike defies control measures
RAWALPINDI: Measures introduced to control prices have largely proven ineffective as vendors in Rawalpindi’s open market have started charging arbitrary fees for beef, mutton, chicken, fruits and vegetables.
With the exception of potatoes, virtually all essential foods have become more expensive and inflation has soared as Ramadan reaches its 17th day.
Adding to public concern, a significant rise in oil prices ahead of Eidul Fitr is expected to trigger another sharp wave of inflation in the open market.
Seven days of the second ten days (Ashra) of Ramadan have already passed, but all efforts made so far to curb the rise in prices in the open market have not yielded significant results. Currently, bone-in beef is sold at Rs 1,400 per kilogram, while boneless beef costs Rs 1,600 per kilogram. Mutton has reached Rs 2,600 per kg and chicken meat is sold at Rs 600 per kg.
Meanwhile, a dozen clean goat trotters are priced at Rs 2,600, while four clean calf trotters are sold for Rs 4,200. Butchers and poultry sellers have effectively set their own prices, with further increases expected as Eid approaches. A similar trend is observed 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.
At the vegetable market, potatoes remain the only relatively affordable item, selling for 120 rupees per five kilograms, while prices of most other vegetables have increased during Ramadan.
Citizens have urged 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 strain.
On the other hand, sellers of meat, poultry, fruits and vegetables argue that they are forced to sell products according to the prices at which they buy them, which adds operational and transportation costs along with a reasonable profit margin.
They also warn that the sharp rise in oil prices starting on the 17th of Ramadan is likely to further intensify inflationary pressures in the market.
It is noteworthy that the Punjab government had introduced strict price control measures this year, but these measures have so far failed to curb the rising cost of essential commodities.
