Butchers announce inflated rates for Eid

Butchers at meat shops in F-7, F-6 F-8, F-10, F-11 set Rs6,000 for slaughtering goat, Rs25,000 for a cow

ISLAMABAD:

As Eidul Azha approaches, butchers of all types – professional and amateur – have set their inflated rates for slaughtering and slicing the meat of sacrificial animals.

The butchers, in all the big and small markets of Islamabad, have set arbitrary rates. Among the amateur butchers are those who slice chicken and fish meat as they have also sharpened their tools.

The butchers at the meat shops in F-7, F-6 F-8, F-10, F-11, I-8, G-8 and G-9 have set Rs6,000 price for slaughtering a goat, Rs25,000 for a cow and Rs50,000 for slaughtering a camel on the first day of Eid. Unskilled butchers seem ready to slaughter animals and slice mince at lower rates.

Professional butchers in the Abpara market have formed a Qurbani group with the display of contact numbers, locations and time for Qurbani.

Khurshid Qureshi, the head of Jamiat al-Quraish, says they receive advance bookings for Qurbani. Talking to The Express Tribune, he said that a sacrificial animal is the best gift of Allah Almighty and we must take great care to maintain its sanctity. “Everyone does not have the opportunity to fulfil Sunat-e-Ibrahimi.”

“When unprofessional butchers slaughter sacrificial animals, they feel much pain. Special attention should be paid to cleanliness while slicing sacrificial meat,” Qureshi added.

Chicken seller Ashiq Abbasi says as the sale of chicken and fish declines on the days of Eid, they earn by slaughtering sacrificial animals. “We charge lower rates to facilitate the customers.”