Written by Ch. Faisal Mahmood
The holy month of Ramzaan has passed away and the vast majority of Pakistanis availed the bounties of God’s mercies by fasting, praying and by sharing their advantages with their disadvantaged neighbors, relatives, friends and social service organisations.
The People of Karachi like the people of other cities and towns in the country very generously arranged the Aftaari meals on makeshift hospitality tables placed at major crossroads, bus stands and at shopping centres. These offerings wre readied for anyone and everywhere in Karachi.
Such offerings – and there were many throughout the city – were paid for and presented by individuals, neighborhood groups, shopkeepers, established volunteer organizations etcetera.
Around the same time and earlier, individuals or representatives of groups lined up near bus stands and presented to the passengers their gifts of packed dates, tetra packed fruit juices or flavored milk or patties or samosaas or Pakoras for them to break their fasts with.
Another deep set cultural practice, specific to this month, is for families to send Iftaari meals to neighbors and to mosques and to labour colonies, thus strengthening the local bonds of mutual fellowship.
This is the month also when the public at large gets to know the many social service voluntary organizations that operate throughout the year on citizens’ financial support to serve the poor and the under-privileged. A vast majority of these organizations are registered and managed on corporate lines. These charity-run institutions range from general hospitals, specialized hospitals, disaster management voluntary organizations, schools, homes for special children and homes for aged citizens. Pointers to the deserving institutions are the many display advertisements sponsored for them by corporate advertisers.
People endowed with financial wellbeing go forth in this month to make donations to them from a prescribed portion of their income called zakaat. Such is the spirit of charity, fellow feeling and mutual belonging among Pakistanis.
This is the real Pakistani; the vast majority of Pakistanis. About Rs. 70 Billion new currency notes were printed and distributed all over Pakistan as a ‘Eidi’ tradition, though people of Pakistan were bit sad after the oil tanker incident, but resilient Thousands of Pakistani thronged to Northern Areas, Hilly stations of KP, Murree and surrounding areas to spend the Eid holidays, which was a very healthy sign for the growing domestic tourism of Pakistan. The Nation celebrated the Ramadan & Eid with true spirit of goodwill and Islamic traditions.
