Sober celebrations

I live near the Raja Bazar area of Rawalpindi and one cannot fathom the sheer number of people, mostly women and children, crowding here for Eid shopping. Looking at such lavish spending, it does not seem like we are in a country going through an economic crisis. I wish we as a nation would someday give up these extravagant and wasteful pre-Eid/Eid shopping sprees and instead donate as much as they can to the poor and needy.

This year, in particular, we need to help the Muslims of Gaza and the rest of Palestine and to think about them and their harsh conditions. This would call for a more sober and circumspect manner of celebration. Sadly, all these values seem to be lost in our society today.

Nayab Ahmad

Rawalpindi