ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad is not only a dream destination for large scale organizations but at the same time, many poor vendors are also earning handsome livelihoods in the capital, which needs to be encouraged and regulated as well.
A 29 years’ old Abdullah hailing from Bajaur agency is one such example, who sell peanuts, corn seeds and black chickpeas on a wooden handcart having built-in oven since his adulthood.
Abdullah, the elder brother of eight siblings including seven sisters is living in a slum area located at Sector G-11 with his two wives. He used to park his handcart on a service road in Sector G-9, where a number of government offices are located.
During a short interview, he informed that his father is also doing the same business in Melody market Islamabad while a number of people known to him are also holding such handcarts across the city.
“I earn around one thousand rupees daily but in winter season only”, he said, explaining: “I go for labor work in summer season as people leave to eat these things in hot weather.”
When questioned that why you did not go to sell drinks etc. in the summer season, he replied: “People generally think that drinks on handcarts are not hygienic so this is not a profitable business in my view.”
“I was employed as conductor (ticket collector on public transport) but my father put me on this job as he was already doing the same”, he recalled, adding: “We managed to purchase this handcart from Rawalpindi in twelve thousand rupees and now it’s our source of income.”
He expressed his satisfaction with the business as according to him he is earning Rizq-e-Hilal and feeding his family in a respectable manner.
Responding about the behavior of government functionaries he said that nobody is disturbing them as they know they are poor people but they offered them free servings in courtesy.
People like Abdullah should be encouraged by society as they are not only earning their livelihoods in a respectable manner but they are also feeding their families instead of adopting the wrong path.
The government institutions like the police and the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) are also in dire need to formulate policies to bring these small entrepreneurs into a framework to avoid any untoward incident in the guise of these innocent and poor people.