Price rises due to Iran war dampen Eid festivities in Pakistan

Multan, Pakistan - Preparations for the end of Ramadan were in full swing at a beauty salon in the Pakistani Punjab, with customers getting haircuts, eyebrow-threading and henna tattoos.

In Multan’s markets, crowds of women young and old shopped for colourful bangles, shoes, new clothes, make-up and sweet treats.

But in Multan and elsewhere in Pakistan, the ripple effects of the US-Israeli war against Iran were being felt.

“It feels very different because inflation has risen so much due to the ongoing war. Every poor person is distressed. It is affecting them deeply,” said make-up artist Rozina Amjad.

Chaand Raat or the Night of the Moon – the eve of Eid al-Fitr – used to be “lively”, she told AFP, adding: “Now that charm is gone. It’s not like it used to be.”

Pakistan is reliant on oil and gas from the Gulf but since war broke out in February, fuel supply pressures have seen prices rise at the pump and government austerity measures.

Rising oil prices have pushed up costs across the board, affecting purchasing power before the most important festival in the Muslim calendar.

Ms Suriya Muslim, a 35-year-old housewife, said she had already done her shopping and just needed to finish her beauty routine at the salon before preparing for guests at her home.

But she feared that her family may have to cut back this year on the customary visits to relatives and friends.

“Due to the war in Iran, the rise in prices has greatly affected our budget. All essential items for Eid have become very expensive,” she added.

“Now our car is just parked at home. Considering the budget, we can neither take the children out, nor go shopping, nor visit any relatives.

“It now seems that petrol will become even more expensive, and in this situation, it feels like Eid will remain limited to our home.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said this week there would be no military parades and flypasts at next week’s Pakistan Day public holiday on March 23 because of the crisis in the Gulf.

Farther east from Multan, in Lahore, the great Eid getaway had started, with trains packed and travellers cramming onto the top of colourful, painted buses.

Public transport fares have also risen, as people travel from major urban centres back to their hometowns and villages.

In Lahore, 48-year-old labourer Muhammad Ramzan said he decided against travelling to his village.

“I wanted to spend Eid with my children, but they’re asking for far more than I can afford,” he said. “Now I don’t even feel like going to my children for Eid.

“I’m thinking of just staying here and working again. I don’t have that much money in my pocket.” AFP