The free-spending elite are targeted for dissuasion by the reintroduced limitations on avenues of socialisation in the wake of regional resurgence of Covid-19.
The second Eid under the long shadow of this pandemic, having hitherto claimed 32.5 million lives globally, is expected to be quiet and simple in Pakistan.
The middle class lacks affordability. The free-spending elite are targeted for dissuasion by the reintroduced limitations on avenues of socialisation in the wake of regional resurgence of Covid-19.
Factors such as the curtailment of shopping time, fear, curbs on socialisation, uncertainty, falling family incomes and inflation have converged to further scale down the volume of Eid business this year by a projected 20 per cent to Rs448 billion from Rs560bn in 2020. Online shopping has picked up pace but the 25pc spike is on a relatively narrow base in the country.