Junk-yard finds: ‘We’re glad the rich have garbage’

Our business thrives on rich people, if they were not there we would not have things to sell, says shopkeeper.


May 21, 2012
Junk-yard finds: ‘We’re glad the rich have garbage’

KARACHI:  As your drive straight down the road and take a U-Turn to check out the other part of Liaquatabad Market, you’ll notice a few radios, old computers, fans, light bulbs lining the road.

This is Kabara Market. Drink up on Mohammad Salam’s Lemon Cola, a cold-drink that you will only find in Liaquatabad. It costs Rs10, but is very refreshing as you prepare to walk around and bargain for a Rs2,500 washing machine or boom box.

Noman, who picks up pieces of fans and puts them together, sells them for Rs1,200 or less. An elderly man who was trying to set the frequency of a radio set said that he was glad people threw their old things away so he could get his hands on them and fix them. “Our business thrives on rich people, if they were not there we would not have things to sell,” he said. “The customers do not have a lot of money so we try to accommodate them as much as we can.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21st, 2012.

COMMENTS (1)

curious | 12 years ago | Reply

Really my heart goes to the honest, working class man who is just struggling to make a living. got to see this Liaquatabad Market when I visit Karachi.

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