By Salman Khan
LAHORE – Eidul Azha is around the corner and sale and purchase of sacrificial animals has already begun across the country.
The business activities associated with the religious festival have transformed over the years, with animal trade now just a click away.
Gone are the days when people would love to invest time and money in the traditional cattle markets and throng roadside sale points several days before Eid. The traders also seem less enchanted today by the prospects of making a fast buck than they used to be until a few years ago.
Many people point out that the tradition of sacrificing animals to seek the Higher Power’s blessings seems to have lost its spirit and charm despite the convenience one can have today in the form of technology.
In order to avoid the hassle of haggling and pain points, and save time and money, most people today prefer technological tools to buy sacrificial animals while staying in the comfort of their homes.
As online buying has become the order of the day, let’s have a look at the options potential customers of sacrificial animals have.
QR Code for animal trade
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has introduced a digital initiative to help buyers and sellers of sacrificial animals deal through Raast – Pakistan’s first instant payment service that enables end-to-end digital payments among individuals, and businesses across the country.
The SBP is said to be working with 25 banks to facilitate 50 cattle markets across the country for payment through QR codes. The transactions are likely to attract Rs550 billion or more, says an official.
The QR (Quick Response) code is an online mode of transaction. It is a scannable barcode containing horizontal and vertical lines, dots, and patterns.
A senior officer recently claimed that the SBP was working with banks to enable cattle markets and farmers to do transaction on QR code this Eid.
“The SBP will make it easy for buyers of sacrificial animals to pay using a QR code mechanism at cattle markets during Eid. It is part of the application of payments through the Raast Instant Payment System,” the officer explained.
He said markets had been identified in 15 cities including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Hyderabad.
“We are covering six cattle markets in Karachi this Eid (falling in mid of June 2024).”
The banker said the QR code method would revolutionise the payment experience as the high cost of installing POS machines at vending points has its limitations.
Online portal
In addition to the Central Bank initiative, the Punjab government has launched its first official online portal to enable citizens to purchase sacrificial animals without hassle.
Reports say it will allow people to buy sacrificial animals online ahead of Eid and streamline the process with the growing trend of modern technology.
The portal provides detailed listings of animals, including their pictures, age, weight, species, breed, price, and other relevant information.
Officials from the Punjab Cattle Market Management have ensured that the portal is secure for transactions, requiring ID card numbers from both buyers and sellers.
Additionally, the portal allows anyone to sell their animals after registration and will remain active even after Eid.
Other online options
A number of private companies, meat vendors and religious institutions also offer online facility of purchasing sacrificial animals and taking part in the rituals.
The trend picked up steam when the Covid pandemic was at its peak and the online animal trade spiked.
Cattle farm owners and meat brands also operate through websites and offer an opportunity for online buying of the sacrificial animals.
Traditional cattle markets
Quite a number of people still visit the traditional cattle markets where business activities gain momentum just few days before the day of sacrifice.
The visitors complain about exorbitant prices of animals the vendors demand. The sellers, on the other hand, cite a host of factors such as the cost of rearing animals, feed and transportation etc., for high prices.
The traders say they come all the way to a big city, say Lahore, from hundreds of kilometres and pay the cost of transportation and bear travelling hardships.
The spirit of sacrifice
Eidul Azha commemorates the supreme sacrifice offered by Hazrat Ibrahim (Peace be upon him) who truly fulfilled the ‘vision’ and showed exemplary patience and constancy. This unparalleled act of faith and unhesitating submission to the will of Allah blazed an imperishable trail of inspiration for all time to come.
When is Eidul Azha expected?
The festive day is expected to fall on June 17 as predicted by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).
According to the Climate Data Processing Centre, the moon of Zilhajj is most likely to be sighted on June 7 (Friday) and Eidul Azha will be on June 17 (Monday).
According to the centre, the moon will rise at 5:38pm on June 6, while the sunset is likely at 7:20pm. The moon is likely to be visible for 72 minutes after sunset.
The moon must be 19 hours old to be visible and at the time of sunset, the age of the moon in Karachi will be 26 hours and 8 minutes.