TAXILA: The increase in the prices of sacrificial animals has also driven up the demand for collective sacrifices in Taxila and Wah.

The prices of goats and lambs have increased by 50 to 65pc this year, leading to people conducting the religious ritual together.

The high cost of keeping an animal till Eid in residential areas has also led to the increase in collective sacrifices.

Various religious and social organisations such as local madressahs and mosques are helping in organising the combined sacrifices.

Representatives of these organisations say lack of space in urban residences is also one of the major reasons for people opting for collective sacrifices.

“Animal dealers are cashing the opportunity and demanding high prices for animals, which common people cannot afford,” said Asif Meer, a resident of Wahdat Colony.

“We are thinking of conducting a collective sacrifice as it is difficult to find a good animal for a reasonable price,” said Mohammad Zubair, a buyer in the cattle market on G.T. Road.

Others have managed to rally relatives and friends to sacrifice animals together and those taking part in the combined sacrifices offered by mosques and madressahs only have to pay Rs14,000 to Rs16,000 per share, said a customer at Cantonment Cattle Market, Muzamil Shah.

The administrator of a local mosque, Attaullah Shah said the mosque has already received payment for 38 bulls when it had received money for 32 last year while the khateeb of the Jamia Makki Wah, Umer Farooq Siddiqui said the number of animals for collective sacrifices have doubled compared to last year.

Published in Dawn, August 19th, 2018