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PESHAWAR, Nov 07 (APP):As the cold winter breeze sweeps through Peshawar’s narrow alleys, the centuries-old Jehangirpura and Qissa Khwani bazaars once again come alive with the colours of wool jackets, coats, and sweaters hanging in every stall and salesmen’ shoulders, becomes a key source of livelihoods.
Among the many vendors of wool shawls, sweaters, jackets and coats calling out to customers, 30-year-old Malayar Shah stands out not just for his warm smile but for his quiet determination, vowing to bring positive changes in the lives of his family through hard work.
Every morning before dawn, Malayar starts his motorcycle from his home town Pabbi Nowshera and rides toward Jahangirpura bazaar, a place that has become both his workplace and his refuge. He spends his day arranging piles of second-hand wool jackets and coats, calling out to shoppers searching for affordable warmth.
“I lost my parents when I was very young,” he said, gently folding a coat while attending to a customer. “The loans I took for their medical treatment left me with nothing but selling used jackets, coats and sweaters was my only option to survive.
For the last ten years, Malayar has survived by selling second-hand coats in winter and Peshawari chappals in summer. Earning around Rs.300 per sale, he dreams of one day saving enough to open a small shop of his own near Qissa Khwani Bazaar.
As winter sets in in the city of artisans, these readymade garments markets become a lifeline for both vendors and shoppers coming here from across KP. Low-income families, daily wage earners, farmers, drivers, under paid employees and middle-class buyers crowd the narrow lanes, hunting for good-quality used jackets and sweaters imported mostly from Europe, Japan, and the United States.
“People trust second-hand garments,” said shopkeeper Waheed Khan, who has worked in Jehangirpura for two decades. “They are affordable, durable, warm, and cost a fraction of what new ones do,” he claimed.
Market surveys show that imported second-hand jeans sell for Rs.400–500, shirts for Rs.300–400, and used sports shoes for Rs.600–800, compared to new branded items that can cost five times as much. Similarly, a used coat is available from Rs1000 to Rs1200 against Rs 7000 to Rs10000 and jacket’s Rs 1500 to Rs2000 against Rs 4000 to Rs 5000 in the open market. Even this affordability is under pressure as traders face rising rents, electricity bills, and import duties.
Despite these financial challenges, customers like Umar Khayam from Nowshera said they still prefer the second-hand markets due to its reasonable prices and warmness. “The quality of used jackets and coats is often better than new clothes,” he said, while searching through a rack of coats at Jehangirpura. “You just need patience to find the right piece and sometimes it takes time.”
For parents, buying used clothing is often a necessity. “Children outgrow their clothes every season,” said Riazul Haq from Pabbi, who was looking for large-sized shoes. “Second-hand markets are the only place where we can afford warm clothing for the whole family at an economical rate.”
According to Dr. Zilkat Malik, former Chairman of the Economics Department at the University of Peshawar, Pakistan’s second-hand clothing imports surged to $511 million in FY 2024–25, up from $434 million the previous year. “This reflects the growing poverty, regional security challenges and economic inequality exacerbated by climate change, especially 2022 floods and rising population bulge besides unequal distribution of financial resources,” he reiterated.
The World Bank estimates that nearly 45% of Pakistan’s population now lives below the poverty line due to these floods, forcing families to turn to Sasta bazaars for essential clothing. “It’s not just a market,” Dr. Malik said, “it’s a mirror of our economic reality of KP.”
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) KP spokesman told APP that effective measures are being taken to promote traditional wool craft like Chitral Chuga, Jinnah Cap and others garments under the National Wool Development Program (NWDP).
He said the proposed program (from sheep to shawl) will cover all aspects of the wool value chain from improved and sustainable rangeland management to vaccination, better feeding of sheep, delivery of shearing services and added value activities such as carpet making and wool sweaters.
The experts called for promoting woolen sheep breeds of Chitral, Kohistan, Malakand, Swat and Balochistan to produce valuable foreign exchange and increase our woolen garments exports.
Still, amid these hardships, there’s resilience and hope. Each coat sold, each smile shared, keeps the spirit of Peshawar’s bazaars alive. As shoppers haggle under the fading winter sun and vendors like Malayar continue their daily struggle, the warmth in these markets is more than just from the wool but it’s from the human stories woven into every thread.