The Eid shopping activities are at its peak in every nook and corner of the city and cantonment areas and great rush has been witnessed on shopping centres and commercial markets. As few days are left in Eid, different markets and bazaars that remained open till late at night because customers start pouring in after Iftar.
The readymade garment shops both male and female had attracted the buyers by displaying new verities and designs. Some female buyers while expressing their views said that the prices of readymade garments were very high but people preferred to purchase keeping in view the quality and designs. The overall sale of Eid cards is at its lowest ebb in Sialkot and its adjoining areas this year.
It was observed in a survey conducted by Business Recorder in different shopping centres of the city and cantonment area. The Eid card sellers said that use of mobile phones and popularity of computer technology and the facility of Internet have played an instrumental role in this sharp decline.
The excess of mobile phones and establishment of Internet cafes in every nook and corner of the city are playing vital role in reducing the time and space limit and people are benefiting of this facility and transmitting their messages and greeting via Internet and mobile phones on inexpensive rates, they pointed out.
They further told that a good variety of greeting cards including Eid cards have been made available on Internet and people select their required cards and transmit to their friends and kin and kith without any delay.
It was President Musharraf government that had rendered laudable services for popularising the computer technology and introduction of Internet system in the country as a result of which thousands of people are benefiting of this facility, they added.
Apart from this main factor of this sharp decline is the floating of poor and substandard as well as repeated designs and high priced Eid and greeting cards have failed to attract the people on this Eid, they added. They suggested that publishers and printers should focus attention on improvement of the standards and quality of greeting cards keeping in view the sharp change.
Some male and females while expressing their views said that people are reluctant to send their Eid and greeting cards to the relatives and friends through post because of high postal charges. They suggested that government should consider minimising the postal charges on Eid so that common man may be benefited by this facility and government would earn maximum revenue by launching reduced rate facility.
The great hustle and bustle was also witnessed on bangle shops, which have doubled the attraction in shopping centres and markets. Humming of young girls and women were seen busy buying and bargaining Multani and Hyderabadi glass bangles. Huge gathering of females of different age groups was also witnessed on different "Dyers (Rang Raz) shops for matching or dyeing dress according to their requirements.
Similarly, Mehndi points have also attract the women where a large number of young girls and elderly women are found busy in decorating their hands with different patterns while some are purchasing "Cone Mehndi" for self decoration. The artificial jewellery and readymade garment shops have also attracted the young girls, where huge rush of girls and women was witnessed.
It was also witnessed that a large number of guys were found busy in "Window Shopping" in much busy shopping centres and commercial markets of the city and cantonment areas. The local Lunda Bazaar has attracted the people where the readymade garments are being sold at much cheaper rates. The sale and purchase in Lunda Bazaar is to top gear.
A large number of males and females were found busy in purchasing the second hand garments and shoes for celebrating Eid. In the meanwhile, it was also observed that Sialkot was flooded with variety of beggars. A large number male and female beggars were seen in different commercial and bazaars as well as in posh localities of the city and cantonment areas. It was interesting to point out that some wealthy male and female beggars were unearth posh shopping centres while discussing the tempo of markets on mobile phones.