Owing to the high price of Independence Day merchandise, a majority of citizens was unable to buy flags and buntings to celebrate the 64th anniversary of the country’s birth. This decrease in sale affected vendors as well, as their merchandise remained unsold.
“I won’t even be able to recover my investment,” said Kalim, a 22-year-old who had set up a stall on Jinnah Avenue. “We did not want to increase the rates but the high prices of paper and cloth compelled us to do so,” he added.
Kalim had stood on roadsides and tried to draw commuters’ attention towards his stall, but to no avail. “I am disappointed due to the decline in the sale as I had invested all my savings into this stall,” Kalim said. “All the items will become useless after tomorrow,” he added.
Hailing from district Attock, Kalim runs a small shop in his house in a village. When asked whether he came to Islamabad for the first time, he replied, “No this is not the first time, I have set up a stall here; I come to the capital before every festive event.”
The vendor revealed that in 2009 he had invested only Rs 2,000 to set up a stall selling Independence Day merchandise, and earned Rs 7,000 from it. In 2010 he had made a profit of Rs 5,000 while this year, he had invested over Rs 10,000 but by Saturday evening he had earned a mere Rs 500. “I set up my stall on Jinnah Avenue thinking that people who use this road would have a higher purchasing power, but people are reluctant to buy my wares and argue about the prices,” Kalim said.
Meanwhile, most of the buildings of the federal capital remain undecorated with lights. Until a few years ago, people from far flung areas used to visit the capital on the eve of the Independence Day to enjoy the lighting and decoration of the city. The trend has now changed since the onslaught of terrorist attacks that have catapulted the country into a whirlpool of problems.
Inflation mars celebrations
