Pakistan

Supply and demand: Caterers have a field day at PAT, PTI sit-ins

Move to Red Zone has been boon for business.

Fawad Ali August 28, 2014

ISLAMABAD: Beef and channa pulao along with aloo ki bhujia and naan have kept the momentum going in the Red Zone, both for the Pakistan Awami Tehreek workers and caterers providing food to them.

Even though the annual season for caterers has not started yet, business is booming because of the rallies of PAT and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) in the capital.

As participants of both parties abandoned Aabpara and Kashmir Highway, moving towards the Parliament, they left behind the adjacent Aabpara Market and its steady supply of food and other items for the thousands of protesters. This is when the capital’s caterers entered the picture.

With thin choices, marchers now largely depend on food being provided to them by catering services financed by organizers of the PAT and PTI rallies.

Long queues can be seen next to the 22-wheeler trailer parked outside the Supreme Court which provides much-needed food to the protesters.

“Had there been no free meals given to the workers, our stay would have become difficult,” said a PAT worker, requesting anonymity. “It doesn’t mean that we would have left the Inqilab march. Our souls are attached with our Quaid (Tahirul Qadri). We can’t even imagine leaving him just for food.”

Lal Deen of the Lal Deen Catering Service along with his brother’s catering service — Seven Star Party Decorators and Tent Service — revealed that on an average, just over 200 daigs were brought for the rally participants daily. “There are days when the number reaches 270 and 280 even. But overall, above 200 are a must,” said Deen.

Interestingly, both brothers are supporters of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and even voted for the party in last year’s elections. However, the claim when it comes to business, one has to overlook politics.

He said cooking material was being provided by PAT organisers and the caterers were only charging Rs300 per daig and Rs400 if firewood was not provided.

One of Deen’s cooks, Mustansar Hussain, revealed that their routine business has been badly affected because of the rallies as people have postponed events due to the deteriorating situation in the capital.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 28^th, 2014.