Butchers ready to rule the roost during Eid-ul-Azha

PESHAWAR: Muhammad Israr, a butcher by profession, slaughters animals to make some extra money during the three days of Eidul Azha.

Butchers in the city and elsewhere in the province either serve customers looking for trained butchers to slaughter their sacrificial animals or go to Islamabad and other big cities to earn more money.

Muhammad Israr ran a butcher shop near the Jamil Chowk on Ring Road and hired four daily wagers. “I usually go to Islamabad, Rawalpindi or Lahore in Punjab and slaughter sacrificial animals over there,” he added.

He said this time he had decided to stay in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as he could not find work in Islamabad.

Israr maintained that his friend had called him to Islamabad to negotiate a deal for slaughtering animals on the eve of Eidul Azha but he returned after they failed to seal the deal.

“I visited Islamabad a few days ago to cut a decent deal but failed and returned to Peshawar to find customers here,” he added.

He said he and the dealer had initially agreed to pay him for slaughtering, skinning and cutting 20 animals into four pieces but later his employer backtracked.

“The employer informed me that other butchers are ready to slaughter, skin and cut the entire animal into small pieces in just Rs6,000. I refused to do all this in such a meagre amount and returned to the city,” he elaborated.

Israr said that he has found customers to slaughter and cut into pieces four cattle head in Peshawar. “Two customers agreed to pay me Rs15,000 each for the job and the remaining two would pay Rs10,000 for each animal,” he added.

He said that he charged Rs7,000 for slaughtering a big animal in the evening.

The butcher said that he and his workers would share the money after slaughtering the animals during Eid days. “It takes us one and a half hours to slaughter, skin and cut into pieces a bull. We work till night on the first day of Eidul Azha to make as much money as we can,” he added.

Kamran, whose shop is situated in Ramdas Chowk, said he too slaughtered animals during Eidul Azha and earned good money.

He said he went to Islamabad or Lahore to slaughter the sacrificial animals.

“People in the city mostly slaughter animals themselves. Only a few wealthy people hire professional butchers to slaughter the animals. The people in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore hire butchers and pay decent money to them. This is the reason majority of butchers go to these cities to cash in on the opportunity,” he added.

He said that he was paid up to Rs4,000 by some friends who had permanent customers and also find new ones to slaughter their sacrificial animals.

Kamran said he charged Rs10,000 to Rs15,000 for slaughtering and cutting into pieces a bull or buffalo and up to Rs2,000 for a goat and sheep. “I did not go to Islamabad this year as I found some customers in the city,” he added.

Another butcher, Bahar Gul, said the butchers demanded more money for slaughtering an animal in the morning.

“I closed my shop some four days ago as people stopped buying meat. Eid is a good opportunity for butchers to make profit,” he added.

He said that butchers in other cities secure contracts of slaughtering, skinning, gutting and cutting into pieces the sacrificial animals.