Waris Ramzan

Srinagar, June 10 (Gulistan News) : This year, Kashmir Valley observed an unusual decrease in animal sacrifices for Eid al-Adha. This drop is largely attributed to the strained financial conditions of the local population. The situation has caused widespread concern among the residents and traders.

Abdul Aziz, a livestock trader from Srinagar who has been in this business for years, said, “This year I saw the worst market conditions, which I had never witnessed before. It’s the second day of Eid, but I’ve never seen anything like this,” he said, indicating an unprecedented fall in sales.

Another well-known livestock trader, Javid Ahmad from North Kashmir’s Pattan town, said, “Pattan is famous for its quality beef, yet this year, the market defied all expectations. We usually sell 80 to 90 animals on the occasion of Eid al-Adha,” he said, “but we have managed to sell only 8 animals this year — this is a remarkably low figure I have ever seen in my lifetime.”

Another local resident, Mohamad Rafiq, stated, “On this auspicious day, I usually used to sacrifice three sheep on Eid al-Adha, but this year my heart is crying as I am not able to sacrifice a single sheep.” He further explained that recent incidents had a very negative impact on the economy. “The hailstorm has left us devastated. We have losses in lakhs, he added, highlighting the circumstances faced by orchardists”. (Gulistan News)