Shahrukh and Salman are on Sale (BUY ONE)

Just to clarify, the Bollywood heroes have not joined any escort service. However, the two Khans can be found at the cattle market in Sukkur, and are part of the 11 bulls that their owner, Abdul Raheem Malik, had brought from Shaheed Benazirabad. High cattle prices seemed to have had an effect on the turnout of prospective buyers at cattle markets at Bunder Road and Race Course Road ahead of Eidul Azha. Most people appear to be turning to seminaries to register for a share from combined sacrifices.

Based on a survey of both markets, the average price of a goat seemed to be between Rs15,000 to Rs20,000, while that of a cow and bull ranged between Rs60,000 to Rs100,000. Prices of some well-bred cows went as high as Rs500,000.

It was apparent that people needed to have superior bargaining capabilities, as some vendors were seen dropping prices of cows by as much as Rs30,000 in one go.

Mumtaz Ali, a resident of Rohri, had put up a cow and a bull for sale. The creatively named cow, Raj Dulari, and bull, Malik Sahib, carried a price tag of Rs220,000 and Rs340,000 respectively. While talking to The Express Tribune, Ali said that he fed the animals milk and apples, in addition to fodder. He added that if he was not offered adequate prices for the animals, then he will take them home and prepare them for next Eid. Meanwhile, Malik is offering to sell Salman Khan and Shahrukh Khan for Rs450,000 each, and that too at a bargain, he says.

Another animal owner, Hajan Ali, who came from Kandhra, complained about the lack of facilities in the cattle market and the high fee that he had to pay to authorities. "I paid Rs1,000 per animal as entry fee." He added that the municipal corporation has provided only two water tankers for animals. No lighting arrangement has been made in the area as well.

Buyers were also upset that they had to pay a fee, which ranged from Rs500 to Rs1,000 per animal. Haji Usman, Qamaruddin, Anwar Ali and others also complained about the high prices of sacrificial animals.

Sukkur Municipal Corporation administrator Waqar Soomro, meanwhile, said that he had no information about the individual or company that was awarded the contract for running the cattle market, as he had only recently taken charge.

Officials at seminaries like Madrassa Ashrafia, Jamia Mosque, Madrassa Ghousia, Madrassa Hamadia and others said that the price of a share of a cow had gone up from Rs5,000 to Rs6,500 this year, due to the increase in prices of sacrificial animals.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 27^th, 2012.