People go to graveyards in large numbers

Islamabad: Carrying on the tradition, people visited graves of their relatives and friends in the federal capital after offering Eid prayers on Wednesday.

The cemeteries, especially those in sectors H-8 and H-11, attracted large crowds of people wanting to pay respects to their departed loved ones.

Visitors broomed and moistened graves, sprinkled rose petals and scented water over them, lit incense sticks atop, and pulled weeds out of the surroundings. Repairs to broken graves were also done.

They later offered ‘feteha’ and recited verses from the Holy Quran to seek salvation of the dead from the Almighty Allah. “We’re here to remember and pray for my parents, who are long dead but their memory lives on,” said Muhammad Aslam, who had shown up at H-8 graveyard along with his children.

He said that he visited his parents’ graves every Eid to ‘continue enjoying their company’ and pray for their salvation. Remembering departed relatives, most visitors got misty-eyed, while some even cried with people around coming in to pacify them.

“I simply can’t resist tears whenever I visit my mother’s grave. She’s my greatest weakness. I really miss her and come here to ‘see’ her, especially on festive occasions,” said student Sikandar Khan at H-11 cemetery almost three years after his mother died in a road accident. Some people said that the visit helped them keep the departed relatives’ graves in good repair. The cemeteries were mostly visited by men and children, but some women were also seen.

An undertaker at H-11 graveyard said that there was a strong tradition of people visiting graves of members of their families on Eid days. He said that most people turned up on the first day of Eid shortly after offering prayers, while some visited the cemetery before daybreak after Fajr prayers.

Sellers of flowers, especially roses and rose petals, reported high sales on Eid days. However, some visitors complained that flower sellers made unfairly large profits at will.