SAHIWAL: Residents of nearly two dozen villages and mauzas on Hota Road, Pakpattan tehsil, have demanded that a 50-year-old weekly “Mandi Mawashian” — a traditional animal trade market — be relocated to a proper alternative site as it is presently being held along the roadcausing mobility issues for the locals.

The demonstrators said the animal market being held every Friday, blocks the main road, causing severe traffic congestion for all kinds of vehicles, including motorcycles.

The animal market, renowned for the trade of sheep, goats, buffaloes, cows, and oxen, held near Khader Canal bridge draws around 200 livestock traders from various districts, including Pakpattan, Vehari, Khanewal, Multan, Lahore, Chuniyan, Kasur, Lodhran, Bahawalnagar, and Bahawalpur.

Bashir Ahmed, a local, said the market is held over approximately four acres, also encroaches upon Hota Road and nearby crossings, where traders load and unload animals brought in mini and large trucks, loader rickshaws, and other transport vehicles. Mostly residents of nearby villages, such as 7-KB, 8-KB, 11-KB, Maghar, Kot Baloch, Salam Rath, Noora Rath, Kot Baksha, Chowk Qaboola, and 15-KB bring their livestock for sale at the market.

It is estimated that from 12,000 to 15,000 animals are traded each Friday at this market. Organisers started setting up makeshift structures at the site a day before the market which weredismantled on Saturday morning.

Traders are required to pay entry fees of Rs800 for a larger animal like buffalo, cows, oxen etc,and Rs200 for small ones, like goats and sheep, with receipts issued by the market organisers.

Mian Rouf, a resident of Hota, said the animal market blocks both tracks of the road for traffic every Friday, making it hard to transport even emergency patients.

Sher Khan, a livestock trader said the administration should designate a separate site for the market, which has been a hub of animal trade for around five decades.

Another trader, Mian Shuja says that ample state land is available in the area, which could be designated for the market.

BOOKED: Qaboola police booked a cart pusher who allegedly injured a district council employee during a scuffle erupting between anti-encroachment staff and pushcart vendors at Qabola Town on Thursday.

As per sources the district council staff and pushcart vendors scuffled just before the arrival of Pakpattan Deputy Commissioner Maria Tariq at Qboola who visited the town to monitor the pace of ongoing anti-encroachment drive in the district.

They said the brawl erupted in the town’s main bazaar when the officials tried to remove carts before the DC’s arrival and some carts were overturned by them.

During the scuffle, a vendor, identified as Abbas, hit an official Iqbal Shah in the head with a weighing scale, leaving him unconscious. He was immediately shifted to Rural Health Center, Qabola.

Meanwhile, the DC arrived at the main bazaar and her security squad and local police controlled the situation.

Qaboola SHO Zaman Rasheed says the police have registered a case against Abbas, a resident of Qaboola on the complaint of Sajad Ul Hasan, Enforcement Inspector.

On the other hand, the local cart-pushers’ association held a meeting under its head Allah Yar Sukhera to chalk out a strategy.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2025