Flea markets feel the chill of soaring costs

Flea markets feel the chill of soaring costs

As winter sets in, makeshift stalls brimming with jackets, coats, and sweaters have appeared across the city. In Rawalpindi's three main "Lunda Bazaars" — Jamia Masjid Road, Raja Bazaar, and Saddar Railway Road — crowds of shoppers are flocking in search of second-hand winter wear, once a lifeline for the poor and lower-middle classes. Yet the government's recent imposition of customs duties and new taxes on imported second-hand clothing has pus…