Raksha Bandhan Celebrated in Pakistan: PPP Leader Ties Rakhi to Bilawal Bhutto

Peshawar/Karachi: The Hindu community in Pakistan, especially those in the north-western city of Peshawar and the southern city of Karachi celebrated the Raksha Bandhan festival with enthusiasm even as a Hindu Senator from PPP tied a Rakhi to her party chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Makeshift stalls selling Rakhi bracelets in different colours and designs cropped up inside several temples in the city ahead of the festival on Monday. Along with Rakhi bracelets, the shopkeepers also sold other items used in worship.

Krishna Kumari, a senator of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) from Tharparkar Sindh, tied rakhi to PPP chairman Bilawal.

Sharing a video of herself tying the rakhi to the PPP leader, Kumari wrote in a post on X: “Happy Raksha Bandhan. Thank You Respected Chairman @BBhuttoZardari” and tagged his sisters Aseefa Zardari and Bakhtawar B Zardari.

In Peshawar, the festival was celebrated on Monday amid tight security as heavy contingents of police were deputed around temples in city and cantonment areas to ensure peaceful observance of the festivity.

A large number of Hindu women and young girls from all across the metropolis thronged to a temple in Jhanda Bazar in the city area for early pooja and then prepared for ‘Aarti’, a Hindu religious ritual. They tied ‘Rakhi’ to their brothers after attending religious rituals while brothers reciprocated the love by exchanging gifts.

In many areas, married women visited the homes of their brothers during the day to tie the Rakhi bracelet and carry out the sacred ritual praying for their protection against the evil eye.

In Lahore, similar celebrations were held at the city’s old Krishna Temple where several pairs of brothers and sisters reached for the rituals, according to Lahore-based TV channel BoldaPunjab.