Leave your hat on: Looking for a cap, Ali knows your party colours

Says now PTI caps most in demand

PESHAWAR: Mukhtiar Ali, a resident of Majokay village, Charsadda, stands outside Bacha Khan Markaz trying to attract buyers. He hopes to sell more of his merchandise – red caps with NYO inscribed on them – at the event planned for Sunday afternoon.

For this National Youth Organisation (NYO) convention, Ali brought 75 caps and sold more than 50 in just a few hours. He was asking for Rs100 per piece. However, he does not deal exclusively with Awami National Party’s sister organisation or necessarily sell on the streets.



Ali is a businessman; a large-scale supplier of political party caps in the city. For the past two decades, he has supplied this headgear – bearing inscriptions demonstrating loyalty to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Pakistan Peoples Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl and Jamaat-e-Islami – to shops across the city.

Tricks of the trade

Ali purchases the caps from Gul Farid Ustad in Majokay village at Rs90 per pop. “Ustad makes these caps and I sell them to shopkeepers at a profit of Rs10,” Ali said. He added shopkeepers carry the sale trail further and supply the caps to people at party rallies and other gatherings of a similar nature.

According to Ali, he can supply caps for any party in any desired colour with any desired inscriptions in bulk. “Caps of an ordinary quality cost Rs100 but this price increases as the quality demanded increases,” he said. “The price can go up till Rs500.”

Trade secrets

The concept of party caps was first introduced by ANP workers who wore red caps and red shalwar kameez at their party gatherings. “However, the trend has been picked up by other parties in the province now,” Ali remarked.

He added ANP workers are not the largest buyers anymore. PTI caps were, undoubtedly, most in demand these days.  “For every 10 ANP, JI or JUI-F caps I sell, I receive an order from shopkeepers to supply 30 PTI caps,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 10^th, 2015.