01 November 2004	Monday	17 Ramazan 1425

PESHAWAR, Oct 31: Shopping for Eid is gaining momentum in the city with many shopping centres and showrooms offering foreign goods which were not available in Peshawar in the past.

Most of the markets and shopping malls have been illuminated with colourful lights and decorated artistically to attract customers.

According to an APP survey, items of interest to women like sarees, short kameez, lehangas, woollen knitwears, knitted garments and imitation ornaments imported from Dubai, Singapore, China and Thailand have been put on sale as Eid special offers.

But customers are not happy because of the high prices of these imported items which range between Rs700 to Rs1,400. These prices are higher than the previous years and are beyond the purchasing power of the buyer.

A short kameez this year is offered for Rs600, though it was available for Rs450 the previous year. Similarly, the prices of children and teenagers' clothes are also high enough.

City markets and shopping stores are stuffed with internationally famous brands of cosmetics. For these items, people are usually go to Singapore, the UAE and Thailand and other international cities as part of their Eid shopping.

Some fashionable markets like Hayatabad shopping malls, Tipu Sultan Road markets, Peshawar Trade Centre, Shaheen and Meena bazaars and Qissa Khwani area are stuffed with a variety of foreign goods.

In Jahingirabad, a majority of new shopping arcades and shops have been opened and famous foreign goods are put on sale there.

An architect, Usman Zakaria, who went to the CT Tower on Sunday told APP that he used to go to Dubai every year for shopping, but now every thing was available here. "So, I decided not to go abroad this time for Eid shopping."

Ahmed Ali, a high school teacher while busy in shopping in Shafi Markets, said: "For men, shalwar kameez is the best choice on Eid. There is nothing like Shalwar kameez which make a man elegant in the NWFP," he remarked.

There are shops in the city, which are selling local-made Punjabi garments with a variety of designs and colours.-APP