As only a few days are left in Eid, people here are confronted with multiple problems, especially the price hike. Eid-ul-Fitr has a very special significance for the Muslims which is celebrated after the completion of the fasting month of Ramazan.
It is very unfortunate that shopkeepers are bent upon fleecing the consumers with both hands but government officers dare not visit the markets to check the menace of price hike in Sialkot. The skyrocketing inflation and prices hike has made shopping difficult for people, especially the salaried class and middle class.
The high prices of vegetables, chicken, meat and beef have doubled the miseries of the middle and poor classes of the society because items are beyond their reach. The shopping trend is very dull due to Sialkot's tragic incident, floods and price hike in urban and rural areas of Sialkot district. Although shopping centres, commercial markets and bazaars remain open till late at night but there is very small number of buyers.
Despite the Chinese products like readymade garments, shoes and mobile phones are dominating in local markets but the sale is at lowest ebb as compared to previous years. It was observed that very small numbers of buyers were purchasing Chinese garments for their kids due to high prices. Some female buyers while expressing their views said that although people are getting dresses of their choice in shops, but these are at very high prices as compared to past years, and so they are facing hardship in purchasing garments within their budget limits.
At different shopping centres of the city and cantonment area the mobile phones, popularity of computer technology and the facility of Internet have played a pivotal role in eliminating the concept of Eid cards. As a result, there is a sharp decline in the sale of greeting cards.
People are not inclined to send Eid cards to their relatives and friends because of high postal charges and the access of mobile phones and Internet cafes in every nook and corner of the city are playing vital role in reducing the time and space and people are benefiting from this facility and transmitting their short messages and greetings through mobile phones and via Internet on very inexpensive rates as good variety of greeting cards are available on Internet and people select their required cards and transmit to their friends and kin and kith without any delay.
Meanwhile, it was also observed that Sialkot is flooded with a variety of beggars and a large number of male and female beggars were seen in different commercial areas and bazaars and in posh localities of the city and cantonment areas. It was interesting to see that some wealthy male and female beggars had unearthed posh shopping centres and were found discussing the 'tempo' of the market on their mobile phones. Apart from this a long queues of people was also witnessed in State Bank of Pakistan and commercial banks for obtaining new currency notes.