With Eidul Azha just two weeks away, people have started visiting different places in search of economical sacrificial animals to offer in the religious ritual.

Though makeshift cattle markets were established in many places of the garrison city, a ‘tent city’ for sacrificial animals was established in Dhoke Gujjran – commonly known as Bhatta Chowk – where bulls, cows, sheep, goats, and camels arrive from central and southern parts of Punjab.

It is the primary cattle market designated by the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board in the city. The district administration, however, has failed to allocate spaces for the market yet, and many people in the city areas are seen roaming around trying to sell their animals.

For the last many years, the Bhatta Chowk cattle market has been the main point because of two reasons: one, it is on the border of Rawalpindi and Islamabad, and second, it is away from downtown, making it easier for the city managers to handle it.

Due to the heat in the morning and afternoon, there are fewer people visiting the site, but hustle and bustle are witnessed in the evening and late night, when people, especially youngsters, start coming to the market to watch the animals and check the rates.

This market was outsourced to a private contractor by the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) for Rs165 million. The entry fee is Rs3,000 for large animals (cows, bulls, camels) and Rs2,000 for small animals (goats, sheep). The front is allocated to livestock farm traders, and the back side is allocated to the vendors. There are fodder stalls, animal grooming services, temporary eateries, tea stalls, and beverage vendors.

A sizable area next to the market has been designated for parking. The contractor collects Rs50 from a motorcycle for an hour and Rs100 for a car. But near Eid, people usually use their vacant plots for parking and charge visitors.

Similarly, make-shift electricity lampposts have been installed and 370 water tankers have also been placed in different places for the animals. Water for drinking and bathing the animals will be sold at Rs3,000 per tanker.

Iqrar Sheikh, a visitor, said that he visited to check the price of an animal, but the prices are still high. He said the Bhatta Chowk cattle market has become part of the festivities before Eidul Azha.

“Scores of people only visit the mandi to check the rates of animals and enjoy the exhibitions in an open environment as they start buying two to three days before Eid,” Muhammad Hussain, a visitor, said. He said that people prefer buying from other markets as the prices of cattle are a “bit higher” in Bhatta Chowk as compared to other markets. Muhammad Ahsan, a visitor, said that it was a better option for the people living in and around the surrounding areas like Misrial, Westridge, Barf Khanna Chowk, and Islamabad’s I-14, I-10, and G-10 sectors. “Mostly, people visit Sangjani, Taxila, and Fateh Jang in search of a healthy animal, as the transport charges from these areas to Rawalpindi and Islamabad are the same while the price of animals is lower,” he said.

Apart from the hustle and bustle of the Bhatta Chowk Cattle Market, there are a few privately owned permanent installations in different areas that provide a less expensive alternative to those looking for sacrificial animals.

Bagh Sardaran, Rawat, Lahore High Court Road, Bakra Mandi, Faizabad, and Khanna are also a few places where some private cattle markets have been established. The arrangements offer a variety of breeds, including ones from Sahiwal, DG Khan, Sargodha, and other areas.

Muhammad Salman, a resident of Chaklala, who bought a cow for Rs280,000, said it was almost impossible to buy an animal at a similar price from Bhatta Chowk, as the transport charges were not less than Rs20,000 to Rs22,000.

“I spent more than two days to find an animal at the cattle market but finally got the animal from Rawat,” he said.

Farhan Ali, a resident of Arya Mohallah, said that he had bought a cow from Kallar Syedan. Nauman Siddiqui, a resident of Gulraiz, bought a cow for Rs320,000 from Bhatta Chowk. He said that amid financial difficulties, the sharing system provided them relief.

On the other hand, the sellers were worried and said that they did not want to take their animals back. They said that mostly people who visited offered lower prices, and the sale will likely increase in the last week near Eid.

“In the hot weather, it is difficult to keep animals healthy. We are more careful so that they do not get fever in the hot weather,” said Abdur Rehman, who came from Sargodha to sell his animals.

Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema told Dawn that the district administration allocated 11 sites for cattle markets in the district and selling animals on roads and streets was banned.

He said that the Punjab government directed officials to ensure all the union councils remained neat and clean before and after Eidul Azha, and in this regard, “we already made a special plan and started implementing it”. He said the administration would set up such markets with the start of Zilhaj.

Published in Dawn, May 26th, 2025