Alarm Bell

ISLAMABAD: This photograph was taken by The Daily Mail staffer at an isolated snacks shop in the I/8-1 sector of the Federal Capital, here on Thursday evening. The event was that the said snacks shops had opted to offer fresh fried snacks like Samosa and Pakora as many faithful keep fast on the eve of Shab-e-Barat. This shop, like many others was thronged by a huge number of people in herds, setting aside all the warning of maintaining social distancing etc amidst the spread of deadly virus. This was merely a small event during this Islamic month. The main events are set to surface during the month of Ramadan where such and in fact even bigger herds, thronging these shops just before Iftar are a routine. The Daily Mail believes that this a very loud alarm bell for the federal government as we as the provincial governments and local administrations. Snacks are unnecessarily attached to Iftar but still a huge majority of general public of Pakistan remain desperate to grab these Smosas and Pakoras, making it almost a religious obligation to have these snacks at the time of opening the Fast (Iftar). The Daily Mail very strongly believes that government should take strong action to ensure such items should not be allowed to be put on sale as it would emerge as the biggest source of virus spread. furthermore, all these fried items can easily be prepared at home kitchens. Action or policy must be devised before the month of Ramadan begins that is merely some 10 to 12 days from today.–Editor