With the arrival of Muharram and the start of communal food distributions on Ashura, catering and food service providers across Rawalpindi district have significantly raised the prices of traditional large-scale cooked meals known as “degs.”

In addition to the price hikes, caterers are now requiring customers to pay half the cost in advance when placing orders. Notices have also been posted, announcing that bookings for the 9th and 10th of Muharram will close starting tomorrow.

The prices of various popular dishes have risen sharply, with increases ranging from Rs1,000 to 1,500 per order in the open market.

Currently, a chicken haleem deg is being sold at Rs10,000, beef haleem at Rs11,400, and mutton haleem at Rs33,000. Chickpea pulao is priced at Rs12,000, chicken pulao at Rs16,000, and vegetable pulao at Rs10,400.

Mutton pulao is now Rs35,000. Mixed biryani and chicken biryani are both priced at Rs20,000, while mutton biryani is being sold at Rs33,000.

A set of 100 small clay pots of kheer is priced at Rs17,500. Chicken qorma is listed at Rs16,000, and mutton qorma at Rs29,600.

Sweet rice (zarda) is selling for Rs9,000, and a set of 100 naan packets is being sold for Rs3,000.

Faisal Mufti, Secretary of the Catering Food Association Rawalpindi, explained that the price increase is due to the recent budget, which has driven up the costs of all food ingredients including pulses, rice, spices, meat, poultry, and fuel.

He added that Muharram and Eid Miladun Nabi are high-demand seasons for the catering industry, and seasonal price surges are common.

Despite the rising costs, he noted that customer demand remains very high. Orders will no longer be taken from the 6th of Muharram onward, and any new requests will only be fulfilled after Ashura.