- Trained butchers in short supply as part-timers are set to fleece people on Eidul Azha
With trained butchers in short supply to slaughter hundreds of thousands of animals in the provincial capital, it’s a sellers’ market as people have to pay exorbitant amounts demanded by the butchers.
The sacrifice of animals on Eidul Azha is a centuries-old tradition set by Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S.) and followed by Muslims all over the world with great fervor and zeal. Streets and roads in Lahore are flooded with sacrificial animals and people are looking for the butchers to perform this holy practice.
Mateen Ahmed, a citizen of Gulshan e Ravi told Pakistan today that he has spent a lot of money to buy his animals and he will prefer to hire an expert butcher for this ritual. “Our regular butcher has demanded Rs 4,000 per goat and I have agreed to pay this amount because I can’t take risk of hiring a cheaper butcher as an inexperienced person cannot chop meat efficiently and precisely,” Ahmed said.
Shafqat Ali, a resident of Farrukhabad near Ravi Bridge told this scribe that he has bought a camel for the first time and the butcher has demanded Rs 20,000 for slaughtering the animal. “I have refused and have decided that I myself will perform this ritual,” Shafqat said. He has been slaughtering his animals by himself for the past several years, but has not slaughtered a camel before.
Amjad Hussain, a butcher, is the leader of his group comprising five people. He has come to Lahore from Shiekhupura to slaughter animals on Eid. He told this scribe that his target area is Shahdra and that he would charge Rs 6,000 to 7,000 for an ox depending on the weight of the animal. Amjad, who will charge Rs 1,500 to 2,000 for a goat told Pakistan Today that he charges a higher rate from customers who demand early sacrifice of their animals.
Haji Bota, a butcher from Mozang area said that he preferred to take the orders of oxen and charged Rs 12,000 per animal.
A survey of different parts of the city done by Pakistan Today revealed how the rates would differ in various parts of the city for slaughter of animals. Rs 5,000 will be charged in DHA, Gulberg and other posh areas for the sacrifice of a goat, while Rs 2,500 will be charged in Ravi road, Karim Park, Bhatti Chowk and Islampura for a goat. Charges of sacrifice on the second day of Eid will be reduced by Rs 1,000, according to the butchers in the city.
The paraphernalia of B.B.Q:
Eidul Azha is different from Eidul Fitr because people prefer to stay at home and enjoy cooking on the Eid. The Bar B Q has also become a mandatory ingredient of Eidul Azha as friends and families arrange get-togethers to celebrate the occasion. Vendors are busy selling BBQ grills in huge numbers to their customers. Prices of these stoves range from Rs 650 to 1,100 depending upon the size. The iron rods to cook the meat can be obtained at Rs 150 per dozen. A customer Malik Nadeem who was buying this paraphernalia from Landa Bazaar told Pakistan today that he had arranged a party for his friends on the night of Eid. He said that the same stoves were being sold for Rs 400 to 800 just last year.
