Hawkers demand unhindered trade

In Rawalpindi city hawkers are of various kinds. Some of them set up small stalls on the pavements as in Raja Bazaar and other markets in front of regular shops; several sell on pushcarts and move from place to place.

They are all over the city. In the inner city and the marketplaces and in the lower and lower-middle income areas they sell a large variety of goods from knick-knacks, shoes and clothing to daily essentials. At bus stops and terminals, outside the entrances to parks, schools, playgrounds, cinemas and offices, in residential areas, they sell food. One also finds them at shrines selling items related to the rituals at the shrine.

“We have been doing our business in Rawalpindi city since decades, however, the city fathers have yet to facilitate us; the small traders who have taken it upon themselves to create their own jobs,” says Hammad Ali from Liaquat Road.

“Extortion from roadside hawkers like me is a regular occurrence in different areas of the city. We cannot run our businesses without giving extortion money. It is happening with the help of local leaders and administration,” complains Akhtar Abbas from Fawara Chowk.

Seeking anonymity, another hawker Imran Jaffery says: “I sell clothes for children and adults and have to pay every day to keep my makeshift store here.

Haider Javed is an old shoe trader near Bara Market. Every day, he sets up his shop on the footpaths of the road trying to make a living. But for Rahim, even his simple business is threatened by extortionists who demand payment to allow hawkers to carry on their business. Sadly, Haider Javed is not alone.

Rustan Raza is an old garments seller and has a shop on the footpaths of Liaquat Road as Haider Javed does. He too has to deal with harassment from extortionists on the daily. This scribe spoke to them both. They alleged that people looking to do business were required to pay, or they were not allowed to sit there. “The extortionists charge money according to the size and type of shops, and we have to pay,” says Rustan Raza.

“The hawkers like me are some of the poorest people of the city, often investing a meagre amount to sell cheap products for a thin margin with which we can manage our livelihood. Going for an eviction if we do not pay to extortionist might result in a catastrophe to our lives and the livelihood of our families,” says Ammar Hussain from Sabzi Mandi.

“Being a hawker people like me are a traditional part of the streets of the city, and even more so during the month of Ramazan when people try their best for the biggest festival of the year, the Eidul Fitr. We provide an opportunity for a huge number of lower income families who try to make the best out of their small budgets to bring a little joy into their lives. We should be protected against extortion,” says Hadi Naqvi from Kashmiri Bazaar.

“They secure their daily bread with pride. They are a great example against those who take to unfair means to earn,” says Zafar Hussain, a banker. “Hawkers have been critical in our domestic economy, providing us with the much needed stuff with remarkably low prices. There is a constant demand for the goods the hawkers sell, and thus it might not be unsafe to suggest unhindered trade for them,” says Shamsul Hasan, a hawker near District Hospital.