Candidates make a beeline to Mohallah Jangi to place orders for souvenirs

Road leading to Mohalla Jangi was clogged as cars, motorcycles & pedestrians inched towards the printing press market

PESHAWAR:

Mohalla Jangi, a printing press market in Khyber Bazaar, is once again abuzz with activity. With local government elections around the corner, the area has become the epicentre for preparations.

On Wednesday, the road leading to Mohalla Jangi was clogged as cars, motorcycles and pedestrians inched towards the printing press market. A day after returning officers allotted election symbols to candidates in the provincial capital, the narrow lanes of the market were bursting at the seams with candidates and their supporters. A large number of them thronged to shops and stalls to place orders for souvenirs with their election symbols emblazoned on them.

Amid the blaring of horns, traffic police sergeants struggled to keep the situation under control.

“Whenever politicians get their election symbols, they rush to Mohalla Jangi,” says Mohammad Javed, who runs a stall where souvenirs are printed. “However, this time the workload and the number of visitors is beyond our imagination. I guess this is because a large number of people are taking part in the polls.”

According to Javed, the Mohalla has always played a vital role in elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Afghanistan as poster, flags and banners are produced in the market. Although he is not satisfied with the amount of money they get for producing material for elections, Javed appears to be content with the business the polls has brought for stall owners and shopkeepers.

All geared up

“I have stopped taking more orders because it will become impossible for me to deliver in time,” says Alamzeb Khan, another stall owner. “We design the pamphlets, stickers, key chains and posters and then send it to the printing press in the city. Flags, badges and caps are mostly bought from Lahore and Faisalabad as they are already available in bulk in these areas.”

Arshad Khan, a shopkeeper who was selling party flags for ANP, PTI and PPP, said some stall owners had already ordered party flags and caps in bulk before election preparations reached their peak.

‘Exorbitant’ rates

Muhammad Aslam, a candidate for Sikandar Town UC from a political party, believes printing press owners have increased their rates after he bought a packet of his party’s badges at Rs700.

“The printing presses have increased their rates,” says Aslam, who came to the market to order banners for his campaign. “We go on a door-to-door campaign in the evening and need badges, flags and caps for voters and supporters.”

Fazal Khan, a roadside stall owner, says a cap price is Rs40 and badge costs Rs70 per piece.

“Prices have increased with the elections,” he said. “Before the elections, each item was at least Rs10 less than its current price. Now, I make around Rs30,000 every day through my sales.”

Battle of another kind     

According to stall owners, the sale of PTI souvenirs has trumped the sale of flags, banners and posters of other parties. “The sale of ANP’s souvenir comes in second,” says Fazal, who wore a PTI muffler and cap.

Fazal has been selling these souvenirs for the past 20 years.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2015.