“Islamabads large shopping centres in the F-6, 7 and 8 sectors, and the smaller ones in the G-sectors, were established in the 1960s and 1970s. Aabpara Market and Siraj Covered Market in F-6 and G-6 were the first ones. In Aabpara, there were also quarters for civil servants. Around 1970, Kohsar Market was established. Then came the F-6 Supermarket, and finally Jinnah Super in F-7 and the F-8 Market”, explains Liaq Ahmed Khan in the bookshop in Kohsar Market. He hails from Chakwal, but after fifty years in the capital, he is as knowledgeable as anyone can be, with a keen interest in local history, too.
“Today, many new smaller markets have come up in many sectors. The most recent ones are the large, modern markets in the developing areas in F-10 and F-11, and the brand new high-rise, Centaurus Mega Mall in F-8”, Khan says.
“In a few years, people from other sectors may even come for best bargains to the new market in E-11”, Mohammad Azeem says. He is building his own, modest two-storey house there.
“The plots are still more reasonable in the new sectors than in the old and established sectors, where the cost of land makes it entirely out of reach for ordinary middle class people”, he says.
In every sector, the goods and services you get in the markets reflect the people who live in the specific sector and neighbourhood. In addition, each market has often niches for special shops, attracting customers from all over the city.
“Covered Market, for example, was the place one would go in order to buy a painting and get pictures framed. A few years ago, that marked was closed down and some of the frame shops moved to Rana Market in F-7”, Khan explains.
“Markets are not only for shopping. They are also for meeting people, having a meal or a cup of tea”, Khalida Babree says. She is from Quetta but has also lived in France, where her late husband was a professor for some time.
“Kohsar Market is very Western”, she says. “Well, in a somewhat old-time style, and at first glance, you could almost mistake it for being in a French village, with the pavement cafés. But I find the market a bit out of place in Islamabadadds she.
“I like to sit at any of the outdoor restaurants in the market”, a Pakistani man in his thirties says. “I like the atmosphere at the market, frequented by young, modern and self-confident women, and by equally successful and wealthy men in business suits. And after work, the same lot, plus many foreigners, too, comes for a cup of coffee or a sandwich, and for grocery and vegetable shopping.”
“We have many European customers in our shop”, says Nazeer Qureshi, the proprietor of the renowned meat and fish shop in Kohsar Market.
“In a few weeks, we will have installed all our new equipment so that we can roast meat for our customers, if they so require, and they can take it home for a quiet dinner or a party, and avoid all the toil of doing it themselves.”
“The same goes for fish and seafood”, Qureshi explains. “Customers can select the specific fish they want, and feel ascertained that the quality is good, and we cook it for them on the spot. We will have local and imported products, including salmon and trout from Norway and Scotland. It is an exciting time for us and we hope our old and new customers will appreciate it”, Qureshi says.
“On the lower side of the market, near the parking area, Attiqur Rehman from Abbattabad displays antiques and jewelry on a table.
“This necklace, I prepared today”, he says, showing a beautiful item with a religious inscription on the blue stone.
“I have been given this space of the pavement for my modest business because I am related to the owners of the main shop. The Capital Development Authority allows us to use the outdoor space, but we must pay rent for it”, he explains.
“I find Kohsar Market very charming”, Ann says. She is an American working for an international NGO in Islamabad.
“I always enjoy the relaxed atmosphere with the many ‘table talks’ we can have under a parasol outdoors, or indoors in one of the pleasant restaurants. After a long day in the office, it is a treat to come here and experience the fusion of local and international cultures”, she says.