ISLAMABAD  -   As the holy month of Ramazan reaches its midpoint, the majority of peo­ple are gearing up for Eid-ul-Fitr shopping in the federal capital. The preparations for the upcom­ing festival have begun, with mar­kets bustling with shoppers amidst prayers and fasting. A huge rush of people can be witnessed thronging the main markets, in­cluding G-9, G-10, F-6, F-7, F-10, Abpara Market, etc.

Several women can be seen in the main markets and shopping malls of the capital, looking for dresses, shoes, and other essen­tial accessories to celebrate the Eid festivities in a befitting man­ner, taking advantage of the Paki­stan Day sales.

Shagufta Shahid, a mother of three children, expressed, “I have completed shopping for my fam­ily, thinking that there will be more people in the coming days and the required sizes of dress­es and shoes may not be availa­ble.” She added, “Although online shopping platforms have made it easier for many to shop while sit­ting at home during fasting, visit­ing the market physically for Eid shopping has its own charm.”

Shaista Naz, a young girl, shared, “I bought my Eid dress and shoes from the nearest shopping mall, availing of the sale offers. Now I have to buy just bangles, jewelry, and henna on the ‘Chaand Raat’ with my friends.” She added, “I al­ways try to buy dresses and shoes by the middle of Ramazan as all the good stuff is sold out during the last few days before Eid, while the tailors also stop taking orders during the last week of Ramazan as they also leave for native towns.”

Hira Iftikhar, a government em­ployee, remarked, “Shopping dur­ing the month of Ramazan is a difficult task, so I am trying to complete it so that I can focus on prayers to seek blessings from Al­lah during the last Ashra of the holy month.” She added, “The pre­vailing inflation has limited the purchasing capacity of the salaried class, so I completed all shopping for my family at a local market.”

Eid-ul-Fitr is the biggest festival for all Muslims across the world, celebrated with great religious zeal and enthusiasm. In the capi­tal city, comprising over half of the population, a major chunk belongs to different provinces. People who settled here for job purposes had to move to their hometowns be­fore the Eid festivity.