Pakistan: Sindh Governor hosts 5,000 people daily for iftar

Karachi: Around 30,000 people from different walks of life have so far had their Iftar meals at the sprawling lawns of the historic Sindh Governor House since the start of Ramadan.

Sindh Governor, Kamran Khan Tessori, oversees arrangements for thousands of people every day.

A spokesman said that the Governor pays for iftar receptions.

Around 5,000 people end fast at Governor House daily and iftar would be served till the end of Ramadan, the spokesman added.

He said that minimal official staff of the Governor House, around dozen of them, were involved in daily arrangements and that a catering contractor has been engaged for the purpose.

1,250 kilos of beef biryani cooked every day

In addition to traditional snacks like Pakora and Samosa, around 1,250 kilos of beef biryani is cooked every day to serve the guests.

The guests include students, faculty members and teachers of public and private sector universities and religious seminaries.

Noted religious scholars also attend the receptions. A recent reception was attended by a famous couple belonging to the show business industry, Saud and Javeria.

At a recent press conference, Tessori told journalists that visitors to the Governor House were mostly common people.

He said that by hosting daily receptions he had opened the heritage building of the Governor House to the general public as the place was earlier reserved for the elite.

He said this was his way of sharing the resources he had with the less privileged.

He conceded that people belonging to low and middle-income groups had to face unbearable economic situation due to hyperinflation.

Apart from hosting these gatherings, Tessori has started having his daily Sehri meals late night at any street restaurants in Karachi. At busy eateries, he gets the chance to directly interact with people so as to know about their issues, he added.