Like every other year, this year too the stalls from Pakistan have stolen the show at the India International Trade Fair (IITF) 2013. From displaying shimmering wedding trousseaus to dishing out succulent mutton kebab, these kiosks located in hall number 6 are attracting quite a crowd.
Pakistan started participating in IITF from 2007 onwards, and since then the popularity of its stalls have grown by leaps and bounds. In the debut year, the country was represented by a couple of shops selling fabrics and food. Today, the scene couldn't be more different from 2007 as traders from Pakistan have put up a diverse array of wares - fabrics, dress materials and artefacts - for eager customers.
"Every year we get 4-5 orders for designing wedding trousseaus which we manage to finish in a duration of three months and ship it to our customers here. The demand has been only increasing each year. We look forward to this annual fair," said Huma Nassr from Pakistan's famous designer house of Braahtii.
This experience is shared by Shoaib Ishaq of Karachi-based Ambers Collection as well, who seems to have made a huge profit as women and girls of all ages browse and bargain for designer kurtis, dupattas and kaftans.
"We are enjoying the business here. It makes me so happy to see that Indian women adore our clothes so much. We can make so much money here but sadly we can come only during the trade fair. We do not get permissions easily, visas are a huge problem," says an excited Ishaq, even as he refuses to share details of the profits he is making.
Most Pakistani businessmen who have put up stalls there have similar stories. Almost all of them complain of having obtained the visas late, having to go through police verifications and random checking during business hours.
A visit to IITF will be incomplete if one does not bite into Pakistani kebabs which are being sold outside Hall 6 under the blazing sun. A scrumptious platter of mutton bihari boti at the Al-Haj Bundoo Khan from Karachi followed by the signature lahori mutton biryani by Liza Food makes one forget the heat.
"We are suffering this year due to the location. We do not even get proper sunshades and are made to put up our stalls outside the main food court of Pragati Maidan. This sort of a mistreatment is happening for the last couple of years," says Shahid Bundoo Khan, owner of one such stall.
Khan was the first one to put up his food stall here during Pakistan's debut year at the IITF, but he was not granted a visa last year.
The India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) which organises the IITF takes Rs 1,00,000 as security deposit and an additional Rs 1,80,000 to Rs 2,00,000 for water and connection charges. But unfortunately, each year Pakistani stalls are getting pushed to the remote corners of the sprawling Pragati Maidan.
"We started with Hall 12 in 2007 and now we are in Hall 6. People are finding it difficult to find us and we are not getting as good a response this time. So we are taking orders on phones," said Farooq Rahman of Laiq Co that sells artefacts costing up to Rs 2,25,000 made from precious onyx stone.
Also, a word of warning: visitors need to be aware of the "fake Pakistani stalls" at halls number 12 and 18. According to an organiser who is in-charge of the Pakistani stalls, they are catching more eyeballs because of the prominent location of the halls.
Pakistan started participating in IITF from 2007 onwards, and since then the popularity of its stalls have grown by leaps and bounds. In the debut year, the country was represented by a couple of shops selling fabrics and food. Today, the scene couldn't be more different from 2007 as traders from Pakistan have put up a diverse array of wares - fabrics, dress materials and artefacts - for eager customers.
"Every year we get 4-5 orders for designing wedding trousseaus which we manage to finish in a duration of three months and ship it to our customers here. The demand has been only increasing each year. We look forward to this annual fair," said Huma Nassr from Pakistan's famous designer house of Braahtii.
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"We are enjoying the business here. It makes me so happy to see that Indian women adore our clothes so much. We can make so much money here but sadly we can come only during the trade fair. We do not get permissions easily, visas are a huge problem," says an excited Ishaq, even as he refuses to share details of the profits he is making.
Most Pakistani businessmen who have put up stalls there have similar stories. Almost all of them complain of having obtained the visas late, having to go through police verifications and random checking during business hours.
A visit to IITF will be incomplete if one does not bite into Pakistani kebabs which are being sold outside Hall 6 under the blazing sun. A scrumptious platter of mutton bihari boti at the Al-Haj Bundoo Khan from Karachi followed by the signature lahori mutton biryani by Liza Food makes one forget the heat.
"We are suffering this year due to the location. We do not even get proper sunshades and are made to put up our stalls outside the main food court of Pragati Maidan. This sort of a mistreatment is happening for the last couple of years," says Shahid Bundoo Khan, owner of one such stall.
Khan was the first one to put up his food stall here during Pakistan's debut year at the IITF, but he was not granted a visa last year.
The India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO) which organises the IITF takes Rs 1,00,000 as security deposit and an additional Rs 1,80,000 to Rs 2,00,000 for water and connection charges. But unfortunately, each year Pakistani stalls are getting pushed to the remote corners of the sprawling Pragati Maidan.
"We started with Hall 12 in 2007 and now we are in Hall 6. People are finding it difficult to find us and we are not getting as good a response this time. So we are taking orders on phones," said Farooq Rahman of Laiq Co that sells artefacts costing up to Rs 2,25,000 made from precious onyx stone.
Also, a word of warning: visitors need to be aware of the "fake Pakistani stalls" at halls number 12 and 18. According to an organiser who is in-charge of the Pakistani stalls, they are catching more eyeballs because of the prominent location of the halls.