Free Iftar centres see unusual rush

LAHORE:

An increase in inflation and its impact on the income of the people has resulted in a significant decline in the Ramazan shopping trend.

On the other hand, a large number of people can be seen at the charity Iftar centres set up at various spots in Lahore.

The salaried class complains of severely reduced buying power of their income due to the prevailing economic situation.

Mohsin Chaudhry, a resident of the old city area, said while speaking to The Express Tribune on Thursday that he earlier used to make elaborate Iftar arrangements at his home but now the situation was such that he had very little left to spend on food after paying electricity bills and children's school fees.

He said he and his friends had started eating at the public welfare Iftar centres set up by various organisations during Ramazan.

He said the free meal service continued after Ramazan also.

Big centres serving free meal have been set up by philanthropists around Data Darbar and in Gulberg, Gulshan-e-Ravi, Johar Town, inner city and other places.

Thousands of people are seen having food, including snacks and fruit, at such places across the city.

An economist, Dr Salman Shah, said inflation was increasing continuously in the country and people's real income had decreased, so a number of them had turned to the langar khanas for surviving. He said an adequate support system had not been created by the government for the people facing financial hardship.

He said the government should create a system to support the people with low income in addition to the extremely poor strata.

Dr Shah said the current inflation rate in the country was 40 per cent and rising.

A citizen buying eatables in a market said the price of vegetables, fruits and meat had increased during Ramazan. A fasting person also has to buy milk and curd, while the market price of flour has also increased, he added.

Muhammad Ali Khawaja, who runs a trust in Johar Town, said his organisation served free lunch at three places in the city and Iftar and Sehri were also being offered there.

He said the trust had increased the number of tables at all the three spots.

“Not only the poor people routinely eat here but white collar employees also come to have Ifar and Sehri. Their number is increasing due to inflation,” he added.

He said other people were also cooperating with the trust in providing the service.

Another citizen, Naila Shahid, said she was a widow and her family earlier purchased ration every month but now she could neither send her children to school nor provide them Iftar and Sehri.

A delivery boy, Nadeem Ahmed, said he was not getting much work due to Ramazn. He leaves home every day, eats at the charity spots and also tries to take food for his family.

He said he had not faced such hardship in previous years.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2023.