Increases in taxes and fees under the federal and provincial budgets for the new fiscal year have sharply raised the cost of shrouds and funeral arrangements, placing an additional financial burden on bereaved families in Rawalpindi. According to market estimates, a quality burial shroud with funeral essentials such as camphor and rose water now costs between Rs8,000 and Rs10,000, while cheaper low-quality alternatives have also appeared in the market.
Struggling to Afford Funeral Essentials
Residents say families from low- and middle-income groups often struggle to meet funeral expenses and are forced to seek loans from relatives and friends or request free burial supplies from charities and philanthropists. The total cost of funeral arrangements, from purchasing the shroud to burial, has increased to between Rs50,000 and Rs100,000.
Breakdown of Rising Costs
Funeral supplies alone cost around Rs10,000, washing the body and related services about Rs5,000, obtaining a grave between Rs15,000 and Rs25,000, grave digger charges around Rs5,000, while meals for mourners after the burial commonly cost between Rs25,000 and Rs50,000. Residents also claimed that all 44 graveyards in Rawalpindi have run out of burial space and that grave plots are now being sold illegally at higher prices.
Call for Government Intervention
Professor Ilyas Qureshi, Headmasters Association patron Dr Sagheer Alam and resident Hafiz Sajid Khan urged the government and local bodies to introduce a free burial service for deserving families. They emphasized that the rising costs are making it increasingly difficult for low-income families to give their loved ones a dignified burial.
