Cash crunch forces shutdown of iftar tables

Due to a severe economic and financial crisis, the district administration has shut down all Negahban Dastarkhwan Iftar and Sehri dastarkhwans set up for labourers across Rawalpindi district.

All the dastarkhwans were suddenly removed. When labourers, daily wagers and white-collar individuals arrived at the government food tables for iftar the previous day, they found that the tents, banners and large flex boards carrying pictures of the Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz had disappeared.

The fasting labourers waited there until the time of iftar, expecting dates, pakoras, samosas and other food items from the government. When nothing arrived until sunset, they looked at each other in confusion.

Upon making inquiries from nearby shopkeepers, they were informed that the district administration had terminated all government-run langar khanas and iftar-sehri dastarkhwans under the government's austerity programme due to financial and economic constraints.

Shopkeepers near Liaquat Bagh, Committee Chowk, Saddar and Sadiqabad immediately stepped in and arranged simple iftar for the labourers who had gathered at the sites, doing so through self-help initiatives.

Following the closure of the iftar and sehri dastarkhwans, the district administration also removed all banners installed at the sites.

Poor fasting individuals who had arrived at the locations protested strongly, saying that if the government intended to close the dastarkhwans, it should have informed people at least a day earlier.

They said these food tables were not established through any demand or request from the public; rather the government itself had widely publicised them and termed them a revolutionary initiative. They added that the method adopted for shutting them down was inappropriate.