Sale of decorated sacrificial animals gaining momentum

Islamabad: As Eidul Azha is approaching, sale of sacrificial animals has picked up momentum in twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi where decorated cows, buffalos, goats, sheep and camels are being herded from Punjab, Sindh and different far flung districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in a bid to get maximum profit in the lucrative market of cities.

Traders have started bringing animals from surrounding areas of the twin cities and the process will get momentum in the coming days like every year, as people from far off areas of the country bring sacrificial animals in the hope of getting better price.

Maximum numbers of animals are expected to be sold on day before Eidul Azha as usual, they said. A little number of animals, particularly goats and sheep, have arrived in the twin cities so far and at present, the sale prices start from Rs10,000 because of limited number of animals available for sale".

Traders expressed the hope that sales will gain momentum in coming days as twin cities dwellers, who have difficulties in keeping the animals in their yards, will start visiting the markets in some days.

It is expected that in case a large number of animals arrive in the city in the coming days before the Eid, the prices would go down, said a seller, Hashim Khan. Customers said that the prices are likely to come down in case a large number of animals arrive in the twin cities before Eid.

Now, the trend of ‘Ijtamai Qurbani’ is also becoming popular in the twin cities. Meanwhile, the administrations, of the twin cities have prohibited sale of sacrificial animals in residential areas and on roadsides to avoid sanitation problems. The administrations in coming days will specify places for the animal markets like past years.