A survey has revealed that Christians bear the lowest costs when burying their loved ones. DESIGN: FAIZAN DAWOOD/ ESSA MALIK
While charities are always at hand to help out, a survey has revealed that Christians bear the lowest costs when burying their loved ones. The Hindus and Sikhs of K-P do not have enough shamshaan ghats and the Muslims of Lahore must fork out an extra fee to use marble.
Here will compare the average costs for a funeral in five cities of Pakistan:
Lahore
Death certificate: Rs100*
(*After a month Rs400+50p/day charged by UCs)
Post-mortem: Free
Morgue: Rs800/24hrs
Muslims
Grave digging: Rs2,000
Bricked grave: Rs1,000
Marble for grave: Rs25,000
DHA marble
grave fee: NA
Model Town marble
grave fee: Rs6,000
Miani Sharif graveyard
marble grave fee: Rs20,000
(*According to the rules of Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and Model Town societies, a spouse and their parents and
children are allowed to be buried but not married daughters.)
Christian
Grave: Rs5,000
Katcha grave: Rs10,000
Marble grave: Rs15,000
Hindu
Cremation: Rs10,000
(*Wood 240kg, desi ghee 2kg)
Coffin: Rs3,000
Sikh
Cremation: Rs10,000
(*Wood 240kg, desi ghee 2kg)
Coffin: Rs3,000
Islamabad-Rawalindi
Rawalpindi
Death certificate: Rs200
Post-mortem: Free
Morgue: Rs600/night
Islamabad
Death certificate: Rs150
Post-mortem: Free
Mortuaries: Rs500/night
Grave digging: Rs300
Muslims in twin cities
Grave digging: Rs2,000
Katcha grave: Rs8,000+
Slabs: Rs5,500
Shroud: Rs2,000
Marble: Rs4,500
Christians
Burial service: free
Katcha grave: Rs8,000
Coffin: Rs4,000
(*Graveyards in H-9, Gora Qabristan,
Pirwadhai)
Hindus
Cremation: Rs15,000
(incl. 335kg of wood, 9kg of coconut,
5kg ghee)
Sikhs
Cremation: Rs15,000
Sikhs also use the same Shamshaan ghaat in Pindi
Karachi
Death certificate: Rs300-Rs500
Post-mortem: Free
Morgue: Rs2,000-Rs4,000/day
(*Edhi cold storage = Rs500 for 72 hours)
Muslims
Grave digging: Rs3,500
Shroud package: Rs600
Hearse: Rs4,000+/bus
Katcha grave: Rs4,000
Tombstone: Rs700
Marble works: Rs25,000+
(*The shroud, a small flask of perfume, rosewater, camphor, white powder, soap and cotton set costs up to Rs1,500 but some charitable organizations provide it for Rs600.)
Christians:
Burial service: up to Rs1,000
Katcha grave: Rs4,000
Pucca grave fee: Rs10,000
Marble works: Rs120,000
(cross, 3 tiers etc)
Coffin: Rs3,000
Hindus
Cremation: Rs6,502
(*Wood 10 maunds: Rs4,000)
Shamshan Ghat fee: Rs1,500
Offerings: Rs1,002
Burial: Rs3,500
Sikhs
Cremation: Rs6,502
(*Wood 10 maunds: Rs4,000)
Shamshan Ghat fee: Rs1,500
Offerings: Rs1,002
Burial: Rs3,500
Parsis
Funeral, including Rs25,000+
Sarosh prayers,
priests, ambulance
and material*
(*depending on a 3-day or 4-day service)
Tower of Silence/Dakhma = NA
If a Parsi dies out of Karachi the family can either bury or cremate their loved one there or fly the body to Karachi for the Dakhma)
Frayan Doctor
Peshawar
Death certificate: Rs80
Post-mortem: Free
Morgue: Rs1,000/day
Muslims
Grave digging: Rs4,000
Katcha grave: Rs5,000
Slabs: Rs3,500
Shroud: Rs1,800
Coffin: Rs5,000*
Marble works: Rs10,000
(*includes accessories such as rosewater, kafan sheet, soap)
Christians
Coffin, grave digging: Rs1,000
Hindus
Cremation: Rs6,000*
Burial: Rs10,000
*(includes khairat and Prasad)
Sikhs
Body transportation
to Attock: Rs70,000
Coffin: Rs5,000
Published in The Express Tribune, January 27th, 2013.
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