Pakistani people always stand at the front row when it comes to helping others. They have always stood together with the affected people of natural calamities in Pakistan. Their enthusiasm reaches to its peak especially in the month of Ramadan. And this is the way to reduce the intensity of the victims’ misery with their kindness and open handedness.
For many years, the people of Karachi used to arrange roadside iftars, dastarkhwans/stalls voluntarily for travelers and needy people during the whole month of Ramadan and it has now become a tradition. People belonging to different strata of society set up free iftar stalls on the roadside to facilitate hundreds of passers-by without any discrimination of cast and ideology. An estimate suggests that thousands of small and big iftar dastarkhwans are set up in every Ramadan in almost all parts of the city. Even worst condition of law and order situation in the city and ever-rising inflation, couldn’t refrain Karachiites from their hospitality. Temporary roadside tables and mats are set up by charity workers preparing free iftar for the poor, needy and lonely.
To one’s amusement there’s no shortage of funds for setting up these stalls as people of the metropolis are lionhearted in this regard. One can easily notice such iftar stalls at I I Chandigarh Road, M A Jinnah Road, Shahra-e-Faisal, Shah Waliullah Road, Abul Hassan Isphani Road, University Road, Shahra-e-Quaideen, Tariq Road, Zaibu Nisa Street, Khayaban-e-Shamshir, Main Saba, Gizri, Sea View, Rashid Minhas Road, Saphoora Chowrangi, Malir, Model Colony Hyderi Market, Meena Bazaar Karimabad, Laloo Khait, Five Star Chowrangi, Samama Market and many other areas.
Residents of posh areas also set up iftar camps outside their residences and it can also been seen outside different mosques. Ramadan is a festive season in Pakistan when people make donations, do charities and perform all recommended good deeds to get blessings of Allah Almighty. Different volunteers distribute iftar boxes among commuters and passengers of buses, cars and vehicles. Burns Road is a famous food street in the southern part of the city in Karachi. The concept of street iftar stalls was originally introduced by the dwellers of Burns Road to help people trapped in massive traffic jam. The tradition has since moved to eastern and western parts of the Karachi as well.
These roadside stalls clearly reveal the open-heartedness of Karachiites despite skyrocketing prices of basic commodities. This culture of setting stalls for iftar in the metropolis tell us that there is a lot more to praise about Pakistan rather than talking about its street crimes, pollution, target killings and traffic jams.
AREEBA REHMAN
Karachi
