Home bound: City roads, markets wear deserted look

Most leave for hometowns to celebrate Eid with family, relatives.

ISLAMABAD: As has been the case, Islamabad roads and markets have started to present a deserted look as a large number of residents have left for their hometowns for Eid.

Majority of them, particularly government servants and private employees, have left for their hometowns to celebrate Eidul Fitr with their families and relatives.

Those belonging to Sindh, Balochistan, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, southern and central Punjab, Gligit Baltistan (G-B) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) left the twin cities on Monday evening, a day before the start of official public holidays.

Public holidays for Eid are from July 5 to 8, and government employees are happy to make use of six holidays including the next weekend.

Attendance in government offices remained thin on Monday as most employees had applied for leave for that day.

Till Monday evening, there was a lot of hustle and bustle in major shopping centres including Aabpara Market, Super Market, Jinnah Supper Market, and Centaurus Mall.

There was great rush of buyers particularly on shoes and garments stores, bakeries and fruit outlets as well hotels and restaurants

However, on Tuesday the crowds in the markets almost vanished except on some shoes and garments stores where some customers could still be seen.

All major shopping centres in Blue Area remained closed, while shops selling particularly Eid-related products remained opened.

Presence of public transport remained thin and very few wagons were seen on the roads.

Meanwhile, there are many in the city who plan on celebrating Eid in the capital.

Ejaz Ali, working at a private company and residing in G-9, said he would not go to his hometown because of financial constraints.

He said that he had limited financial resources and had to bear extra expenditure due to shopping besides making arrangements for his children and wife to go to G-B to celebrate Eid.

Sadaqat Raja, a retired bureaucrat, said that three to four decades ago most of the residents of capital used to go to their native cities to celebrate Eid along with their families.

“Now things have changed. I cannot go to my native city as my parents and other close relatives have died. On the other hand, my children, who have been living in Islamabad for decades and have been married in families residing in Islamabad, do not intend to leave the city,” he said.

“My children, who have been doing jobs in capital, consider Islamabad as their native city, as their friends also live here,” Raja added.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 6^th, 2016.