STREET HAWKERS-THE LIFEBLOOD OF PAKISTAN
(Moqeet Rehman, RAWALPINDI)
Street hawkers form a small part of the economy of Pakistan. According to a survey, at a daily earning of 1,000 rupees per day, their total earnings amount to 2,190 million rupees per year. My association with them began in 2017, when I visited my village. I saw that street hawkers play a very important role as the villagers don’t have access to the fresh seasonal fruitsand vegetables. When my mother interviewed one of the vendors, they informed us that they daily come from the nearby town. They buy fresh fruits like guava and oranges from the farms and then sell them in almost ten villages. The people are facilitated by this service and have access to the fresh fruits and vegetables. Also, it benefits the vendor’s families too as they earn a handsome amount to support their families. One of the vendor named Raja Ali said “Baji hamara theek thaak guzara hou jaata hai, aur gaoun waaly bhi hamaray pakkay ghahak bn chuky hein.”
Once I returned to my home I started noticing that in a busy city like Rawalpindi which has numerous shops and malls, there are areas where the street hawkers keep their stalls and sell daily life things like small combs, toys, small sized torches, and charging lights e.tc. I noticed that these vendors are very successful in the winter season, because people who are not able to buy costly sweaters buy second hand sweaters, socks, mufflers from their stalls, to keep them warm in the extreme winter season. Also in the summers, in the scorching heat of the sun, the vendors aid the citizens by selling refreshing drinks like sugarcane juice.
The street hawkers transfer their unique skills to their children as well. In the morning their children get education and in the evening time they help their fathers and relatives. Hence, their small business runs from one generation to the next. I hereby request the government to help the street hawkers in improving their stalls, which can be done by providing them properly constructed food carts or vans. The street economy is a vital part of Pakistan’s culture and it also helps to diminish youth unemployment.