CHITRAL, 06 Feb 10.  With runaway inflation and rabid price hike pushing the population, particularly the white collared lower middle strata of the society, to the wall, availability of second hand warm clothing in the market becomes a big blessing for these people.

 

Warm clothes thrown away or donated by affluent western societies is brought into Pakistan in ship loads and disbursed throughout the country, a good chunk making its way to northern areas where temperature is low and poverty high. Pathan vendors from Bajaur, Mohmand etc are the ones who bring bundles of warm second hand clothing and shoes into Chitral starting October and trade them through end of march.

 

A new local warm Jacket costs 2000 rupees in the market, but an imported one of more superior make though slightly used is available for 200-300 rupees with these second hand traders. Similarly superior quality Italian shoes can be bought for a couple of hundred bucks. There have been occasions when purchasers have found  foreign currency notes ranging from a few dollars to hundreds of pounds from pockets of these clothes.

Now the vendors have become clever and check the pockets before selling old clothes.

 

White collared and respectable people by virtue of family status who first shied away from visiting these stalls are now seen boldly wrangling  for price bargains out there. As there is nothing absolute in this world, so is probably the interesting fact that religious hardliners who by default reject everything western are seen wearing second hand clothes thrown away by the people who they spare no chance to curse.--(CN report)

 

 

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