Jackpot: Landa is the new lotto

GILGIT: Here is one good reason to shop more at the local ‘landa bazaar’: you could get rich! Muhammad Hussain hit the jackpot when he traded in Rs150 for a used coat at a landa shop in Gilgit and received a cash prize worth more than a quarter of a million rupees. Sweet deal!

Providence was smiling at the lucky resident of Phekkar village in Nagar Valley when he searched the pockets of the newly bought old coat before trying it on. He could not believe his stars when his hand got hold of a thick wad of cash totalling Rs350,000 tucked away in one of the inner pockets.

Could this be compensation for having done some good in his life? Maybe.

In the words of Zakir Hussain, another resident of Nagar valley: “It could be a gift from God to this man.”

Mateen Khan, a dealer of used clothes in Gilgit, was not too surprised though. He said he often finds money or other precious items in used clothes and other stuff he brings from Rawalpindi and Peshawar. However, even he was impressed by the juicy amount Hussain found. One can safely bet that he will never again sell any used items before performing a thorough investigation.

In Gilgit-Baltistan, the sale of second-hand or used clothes goes up in winter. The region’s people, mostly farmers and small traders, cannot afford to buy new clothes for protection themselves against the vagaries of harsh winters. One can only wonder how many others in the area have such good fortune in store for them. Who says there’s no justice under the sky?

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2011.