Soaring prices force people to opt for collective sacrifice
PESHAWAR: The faithful in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are going to sacrifice around 4.67
million animals in the province during the three days of Eidul Azha starting today.
They will sacrifice their
animals on the first, second and third day of Eidul Azha in remembrance of the great sacrifice of Prophet Hazrat Ibrahim (AS) and will distribute the meat among the poor.
The data retrieved from the Livestock and Dairy Development Department has shown the number of small and large
animals going to be
slaughtered in the province this Eid.
It estimated the total number of
animals to be
slaughtered during Eidul Azha at around 4.67
million that includes 1.98
million large animals, like buffaloes, cows and camels and 2.69
million small
animals such as goats, sheep and small cows.
A whirlwind visit to the cattle markets on Monday revealed that most of the locals had brought out their
animals to the markets just a day ahead of Eid, while prices in different markets continued to fluctuate. However, the vendors who had brought
animals from Punjab and Sindh were still stuck at higher prices for their animals.
Haroon Minhaj, a bank ******r, while carrying his sacrificial animal, a young bull, at the Dilazak Road market also mentioned with surprise the difference in prices of different
animals at the different cattle markets across the Peshawar district.
“I just purchased this bull from the Nasirpur market on the outskirts at Rs60,000, while in the city markets the bulls of even lesser weight were selling at higher prices,” he told The News.
He also confirmed that in most of makeshift markets on the Ring Road, Dilazak Road, the sale of
animals got momentum with only a day left to Eid.
It was observed that this year the prices of
animals increased almost 50 to 60 per cent, making it difficult for most of the people to go for large
animals individually.
The price of a good quality goat weighing 18 to 20 kilograms ranged between Rs20,000 and Rs40,000, while flat-tailed sheep of the same weight were sold at Rs30,000 to Rs50,000.
Said Muhammad, an occasional vendor, who on the eve of Eid adopts the profession to make a few extra bucks, told this scribe at Bakhshipul, Charsadda Road market, that the price of a cow or ox of **rmal weight ranged between Rs50,000 and Rs60,000, while a healthy and bulky animal was priced at
Over Rs120,000 in the cattle market.
It was observed that unlike the past years, lesser number of
animals were brought to the animal markets which was mentioned as one of the reasons for their higher prices.
There were also some bulls and cows that were brought from other parts of the country and were offered at Rs100,000 while good quality
animals were priced in the range of Rs200,000 to Rs250,000.
However, it is expected like all the previous years the prices of
animals will come down in the coming two days and for many the prices would be affordable as majority of the buyers would have got their desired
animals before the first day of Eid.
Like other parts of the country, the soaring prices of
animals are forcing the people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to opt for collective sacrifice.
Various religious and social organisations, trusts, including Al-Khidmat, and even some madrassas have also arranged sacrifice, individual and collective, to facilitate the people.
These organisations have offered the people that they can perform the religious obligation by spending Rs13,500 to Rs15,000 in collective sacrifice of cow, camel, ox and buffaloes.
Other organisations have their own prices and arrangements to facilitate the people offering sacrifice on the occasion of Eidul Azha.
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