AIBAK (Pajhwok): Habibullah, 40, works as a cobbler at a corner of Aibak City, the capital of northern Samangan province, said that the Eid festival is not for less fortunate and vulnerable people because his biggest dream was to arrange livelihood for his family.
Muslims in the world warmly celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr and Eidul-ul-Adha, in Afghanistan also most people celebrate this fest most people arrange new clothes, prepare different types of food and fruits and visit their family and friends’ houses to exchange Eid congratulations.
Eid days are a happy time for people who have the financial ability to buy these things, but some families only think about their essential needs and daily livelihood.
Habibullah from the Qashlaq village of Aibak city, regularly came to the Aibak City bazaar after praying his morning prayer with the hope of earning a livelihood, but sometimes he returned hopeless because of no work.
He sits at a corner of Aibak city wearing old clothes and polished shoes. He told Pajhwok Afghan News: “I am 40 years old and I live in a poor family of five people, where all my family members are waiting all day long for me to provide them with a piece of bread from the city market, and sometimes I am not even able to buy five dry bread.”
Although there are two Eids in a year for all Muslims, the lack of business and economic problems have overwhelmed him so much that he even forgot the day called Eid during the year
He said: “I wished that one day my three children would go to school wearing new clothes like others, but these days I feel that I am slowly moving away from this dream.”
This is not only Habibullah suffering from poverty and economic problems but Mohammad Umar, a resident of Dara-i-Suf Payan, who with trembling legs and hands and a bent body begs to find a livelihood for himself.
He said: “I beg during the day in the city, but I spend the cold nights in restaurants with dozens of problems, Due to poverty, I am also away from my family, they can’t find cooking oil and rice to cook which bothers me a lot, what if we know something called Eid.”
When he was asked about Eid, his eyes welled up and disappointedly said: “I am 70, I have three sons and four daughters, I cannot see towards them, it is really difficult for me, I don’t have the ability to look at them but what can I do, without Allah I cannot tell my painful stories to others.”
He said Eid and without Eid is the same to him, he did not have the ability to buy clothes for himself or his family members.
Rajab Shah is another poor and elderly man who worked by a special structure called Charkh and earned up to 150 afs.
Hailing from the Sirkunda locality of Aibak, Rajab Shah is now 70 and he spent all his life working on Charkh which has up to 50 kilograms weight and he has to carry it.
He sharpens knives, scissors and similar items by Charkh and earns 10 afs.
He said: “Because I don’t have a family, I have to sleep in restaurants at night, and I use all my income for myself, and on Eid days, like dozens of other workers, I go to work to get a bite of bread, and I don’t have Eid.”
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