With the onset of last Ashra of Ramazan, sale at the footpath stalls is gaining momentum in Islamabad as people with low income cannot afford branded and locally manufactured goods. Most of the footpaths and sideways in the market areas of the federal capital are embellished with makeshifts shops, push carts and local vendors where number of hawkers are selling clothes, footwear and jewelry at low prices.
Saleem Akhtar a daily wager, who came to a pavement shop at Abpara Market to buy sandals for Eid told APP that he had limited income within his range these footwears were the best choice he could have made. “Commodities’ rates on footpath stalls are much cheaper than retail markets, but sometimes it becomes difficult to find quality products from the pavement and makeshift shops as the cheap and valued items usually wipe out from the market within hours”, he added. Reema Sultan, an old lady in the quest of dress at cloth stall in Karachi Company said that prices in the pavement markets were also not less than the markets and there were no big difference between their respective prices. “Every year I buy cloth and footwear from the stalls, but this year prices have been raised manifold compared to previous years. Vendors are earning too many profits on the pretext of inflation”, she lamented. Saleem Akhtar, a resident of Rawalpindi recounted that he was a taxi driver, but in Ramazan it was difficult to find passengers in the scorching heat. Therefore, during this month he sold inexpensive clothes on vendor carts at Peshawar Mor and earned substantial amount of money.
