Historic Moti Bazaar attracts throngs of shoppers

The historical Moti Bazaar has a place of its own among all commercial centres and marketplaces in Rawalpindi.

The city’s only women’s bazaar has long been a favourite shopping point in Raja Bazaar. It is a place where middle- and low-income families can find affordable products on occasions such as Eid and weddings.

As Eidul Fitr approaches, women have started heading toward the 122-year-old bazaar, which has now turned into a market replete with items for sale for women in Rawalpindi and surrounding areas.

At the moment, Moti Bazaar has over 7,000 small and big shops and 75 small and big markets. Around 12,000 salesmen work in these shops and markets which have 15 entrance and exist points.

Shopkeepers said that a large number of women have started visiting the market daily and traders were making roaring business.

The 122-year-old bazaar remains open from 8am to till late at night.

Businesses in Moti Mohalla started around 1901, after Moti Lal, a Hindu trader, started offering widows, escaping the Hindu custom of Sati (ritual of the suicide of widows), and refuge at his house. To earn a livelihood, these women started preparing different embroidered goods for sale.

Local shopkeepers Chaudhary Iqbal, Naveed Kanwal and Tahir Taj Bhatti have played a central role in settling it and maintaining its special status as a ladies’ bazaar.

Their fathers and other elders have also worked for the greatness of this market. This saying is very popular among the women of Rawalpindi that “Marriage is not complete and the joy of Eid for girls and women is not complete without shopping at the Moti Bazaar.”

Here all consumables for girls and women are available at cheap prices, in new designs, all colours and all types of quality.

Apart from this, all household items are also available. Girls’ artificial jewellery, makeup accessories, garments and hosiery items are available.

Due to the Eid rush, pickpockets also remain active and dozens of women’s purses are stolen and hacked every day.

Women police are also deployed here during Ramazan.

During Eid, traders make the sale of up to Rs30 million daily. Not only Rawalpindi, families from Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, Jhelum, Attock, Chakwal and Hazara divisions also come to Moti Bazaar for shopping as kinds of goods are available in the bazaar from needle to expensive items for home use. All types of bridal accessories are also available in the market.

Now since the last week of Ramazan has started, there has been a huge rush of women in the bazaar as prices are up to 25 per cent less than the other such markets.

The Moti Bazaar is a complete shopping centre for women where all items are available in one place.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 15^th, 2023.