SARGODHA    -   Slaughtering sacrificial animals on Eid-ul-Azha is a religious obligation for those who afford it financially.

As the festive occasion is approaching fast, businesses related to it are witnessing heightened activities.  The businesses of professional and seasonal butchers, blacksmith, knife-sharpeners and fodder-sellers are becoming centre of activity with each passing day, as the people related to have started receiving orders from the Eid day.

Beside increase in sale of slaughtering , a number of seasonal butchers have started to set up their booking stalls in various parts of the city. Special machines have been installed at many shops to sharpen knives, axes, beef-cutters and meat cleavers.

A hustle and bustle is witnessed in markets these days with customers preparing their tools for performing the animal sacrifice obligation, a religious obligation and Sunnah of Holy Prophet Hazrat Ibrahim (AS).

Azam Khan, a butcher by profession, who’s running his meat shop in Kutchehri Bazaar Sargodha, told APP that he had purchased new tools and recruited some extra hands to work with him on the Eid days.

Blacksmith Samiullah said, “Before Eid, we have a very busy and hectic schedule.”  He said that knifes of various sizes and categories for slaughtering animals are manufactured days before Eid. “These are the exceptional days for us as we do sufficient business, much more than the entire year,” said Muhammad Iqbal, another blacksmith, in the Goal Chowk market.

Sharing his experience, he said that mostly people buy a set of one big knife to slaughter animal, one small to take off skin and a chopper to cut the meat into pieces, costing Rs 1,200 to Rs 3,400 as per quality.

Khalid Rasheed, who is running his shop in Satellite Town Market Sargodha, told APP that throughout the year they wait for these days.