KHOST CITY (SW) – The hides of sacrificial animals are laying all over Khost city causing distresses for the residents.
Locals informed Salam Watandar, these hides had good market value in the past when people would collect these hides door-to-door, and traders would export it to Pakistan. It was informed each hide had a market value of some 1000 rupees, but that has now fallen to around 100 rupees due to the closure of crossing points with Pakistan such as the Ghulam Khan dry port.
Mohammad Sidiq and Bibi Kamila, two Khost residents, informed they have thrown away the hides to garbage dumping sites since it has negligible financial value. They informed due to the closure of the crossing points, the religious seminary students and other needy people too are not interested in collecting the hides.
This has sparked fears about spread of diseases in the city. A number of traders informed the market for animal hides is no longer profitable, and only few bother to transfer the hides they have collected to Kabul from where they are exported to Turkey.
Interestingly, the same leather sandals and jackets are popular in Khost that are produced form animal hide exported from Afghanistan to Pakistan.
ENDS
