Eid-ul-Azha was celebrated with usual enthusiasm and religious fervour in Sialkot, Daska, Pasrur, Zafarwal, Sambrial and Ugoki areas of Sialkot district on Saturday. Eid prayers were offered at different mosques and open places in the city and other parts of the district. Strict security measures were adopted by district administration.
Special traffic arrangements were also made for ensuring smooth flow of traffic on main roads of the city. Ulema at Eid congregations stressed the faithful to mould their lives in accordance with the tenets of Islam and golden teachings of Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH), the greatest educator to the mankind, for getting rid from multifarious problems and difficulties.
Underscoring the need of understanding the philosophy of "Qurbani" (slaughtering animals) and said that to please Almighty Allah, eid delights should be shared with poor, orphans, needy persons and widows. The ulema also called for shunning petty differences to cope with the challenges and threats to Muslim ummah with unity.
Special prayers were offered for the unity, prosperity and solidarity of the country and for the early liberation of Indian held Kashmir in all mosques of Sialkot district. Most of the people, including women and youngsters, celebrate eid with friends and kith and kin in parks after eid prayers while great rush was witnessed at bakeries and sweet shops because of close of restaurants especially Tikka, seekh kabab shops in the city.
Besides, hide and seek between citizen and butchers remained very interesting story in posh areas of the city because butchers managed to deceive them at the eleventh hour. Number of Qurbani also remained very thin because of unaffordable prices of the animals.
It was very interesting to point out that a large number of young male and females meat collectors were seen very active in different localities and found busy in collecting meat and beef. One meat collector, Musrat Bibi, said that she had successfully collected 35 kg mutton and 20 kg beef during first day of Eid.
The purpose of collecting of meat was to preserve it for future family needs because everything is going out of purchasing power and poor segment was suffering adversely "and we had been left with no other option". Before Eid, mutton was sold at Rs 400 to Rs 425 per kg. Meanwhile, a large part of Sialkot was flooded with young male and female beggars.