Muhammad Razzaq said two gunmen broke into his shop in the capital, Islamabad, tied up and beat his staff before dismembering them with 240 completed or nearly finished traditional shalwar kameez uniforms. He said: “The police could not find any evidence of the ruthless guys who turned this Eid into a nightmare for me.” The clothes were worth more than 720,000 rupees (4 7,497), he said. Pakistanis and Muslims around the world usually celebrate Eid al-Fitr wearing new clothes and jewelry – with some unrolling thousands in shiny sets. Even those people with less money are trying to buy something new for the holidays, and sewn clothes are often cheaper than clothes bought in the store. Eid is expected to start either on Monday or Tuesday, depending on the view of the new moon. Most shelves at the Razzaq store were empty on Friday. “I have been working in the area for the last 20 years and I have clients who come to me from luxury areas of Islamabad and Rawalpindi with branded and expensive fabrics,” he said. Salman Ashraf, one of the tailors who was tied up during the raid, said the robbers were very aggressive. “The gunmen pulled us, tied us with ropes and asked us to remain silent,” he said. Police have confirmed that they are investigating the robbery.
