DAMMAM, 20 April — The Pakistan Community Council (PCC) held a meena bazaar at Prince Muhammad ibn Fahd Amusement Park, Half Moon Bay. Nadeem Keyani, a welfare attaché at the Pakistan Embassy, who had come especially from Riyadh, was the chief guest.
Qazi Saleem, PCC’s general secretary told Arab News his organization’s main aim was to help the Pakistani community. You will be surprised how many people here are jobless and hard pressed for their day-to-day sustenance. Saleem said PCC had paid the medical bills of a few cancer patients. They had also sent around SR163,000 for drought victims in Pakistan last year.
Defending the seemingly exorbitant entrance fee of SR22, Saleem said that other communities charged between SR30 and 35. We charge less. Normally the entrance charge to the amusement park is SR20 and all rides cost between SR4 and 10. Visitors to the meena bazaar pay SR22 and all the rides are free.
There were many stalls selling all kinds of items from glass bangles to haleem. “Ours is the best,” proclaimed Shamim while selling his haleem at SR5 per plate. “My father Hameed Ahmed who runs a tailoring shop makes this himself. The haleem he makes is so delicious that it sells out in no time. People call us on the phone and ask us where are we going to sell our haleem next.”
Also selling haleem were husband and wife Saadia and Liaquat Ali. “This is our joint venture, I put in all the ingredients and my husband does the cooking,” Sadia said. Ali claimed that their haleem was the best. This year we have used chicken instead of traditional beef, Ali told Arab News.
Salman sat with a pile of cassettes. He has been participating in the meena bazaar since it was first held in 1993. Here the number of visitors varies. Some times they bring popular guests from Pakistan — that make more people throng the bazaar. Once the organizers invited comedian Omar Sharif — the crowd was massive. But I come here basically to introduce myself. I have a shop called Punjab Stereo in the city.
Salman said Junoon was the highest selling Pakistani cassette, but “Indian film songs sell the most,” he said. There were camels and horses too. Each ride cost SR10. There was one white horse in particular which attracted a lot of attention because he kept neighing at the top of his lungs. His owner finally took him near a fire hydrant, gave him a long drink and a big splash to cool him off.
Most families told Arab News they came to the meena bazaar for their children’s sake. Most felt the entrance fee was too high but after the exams “we have to give our children a treat.”