Peshawar: Preparations are in full swing in Khyber Pakthunkhwa, where a hustle and bustle of people is being witnessed in all cattle markets to select appropriate sacrificial animal, for Eid-ul-Azha, which would be celebrated on Wednesday with great religious fervour.
The trading of sacrificial animals have reached its peak in Peshawar where people thronged cattle markets at Lala Kallay, Pachagi Road, Firdus, Pandu Road on Monday to select a suitable sacrificial animal.
Businessmen from Punjab and Sindh provinces, besides domestic traders, have brought animals in large number to the lucrative market of Peshawar, which attracts buyers not only from Khyber Pakthunkhwa, but also from neighbouring Afghanistan.
Traders are expecting that the sale of cattle will pick up on the last day before of Eid.
“Since last Sunday, I have sold 45 goats out of 60 that were available with me in Firdus market,” said Sajid Khan, a cattle trader in Pachagai road. During the last three days, he said sale of sacrificial animals have increased manifolds and hoped to sell all his stock before sunset on Tuesday.
He said the reasons behind high increase of cattle prices are due to expenses occurred on their transportation, fodder and taxes. “I will buy a goat on the last day before Eid with a hope that the prices may go down,” Misal Khan, from Nowshera said when asked at Lala Kalli cattle market near Peshawar.
The prices of sacrificial animals are beyond the purchasing power of local income groups, salaried and middle class and these segment of the society are going to perform collective Qurbani. An official of Livestock and Dairy Development told APP that around 65,000 to 80,000 cattle are being sacrificed only in KP on the occasion of Eid.
“We have no choice but to import cattle from Punjab to ensure easy availability of sacrificial animals to people at reasonable rates,” he said, adding that around 70 to 75 per cent cattle are being brought from Punjab and Sindh provinces.
He suggested tripartite-export agreement between Pakistan, India and Afghanistan to meet the requirements of beef, milk and sacrificial animals. The district government has also established several checkpoints with assistance from provincial government at various places on highways connecting KP with tribal districts to control the menace of cattle smuggling.
The City District Government, Peshawar has also requested the provincial government to ensure strict vigilance on all the entry and exit points in the province to check the smuggling of cattle.
