Tahira Habib Jalib, eldest daughter of Pakistani revolutionary poet Habib Jalib, has turned to selling homemade food on the streets of Lahore to support herself after struggling with rising living costs.
Tahira told a private news outlet, Independent Urdu, that she recently set up a food cart near Karim Block Market after investing thousands of rupees in preparing food and purchasing equipment on credit. However, the administration stopped her from operating the stall shortly after it opened.
According to Tahira, officials initially appreciated her efforts to earn a living through hard work, but other officials later arrived and ordered her to remove the cart. She also alleged that she was asked for money to continue operating the stall.
Tahira said she had approached the Lahore Deputy Commissioner’s Office in June, seeking a cart under the Punjab government’s Chief Minister Model Cart Bazaar scheme. She said her application was rejected on the grounds that she did not meet the required criteria, although she was not given a clear explanation.
“I am struggling to earn a living myself instead of asking anyone for help,” Tahira said, recalling how she previously worked at a PCO to support her sisters and children before taking a car on installments and working for Careem and Uber.
She said rising petrol prices have made it increasingly difficult for her to continue earning through driving.
Tahira said she eventually decided to start a food business herself. “Last Thursday, we cooked food from home and sold it in one day, earning Rs2,800,” she said, adding that administration officials later stopped them from setting up the food stall.
“My father taught us a lesson of self-reliance, so we are not asking anyone for help,” she said. “But as citizens of this country, our right to work is also being taken away.”
The incident comes amid an anti-encroachment campaign across Punjab, with authorities removing illegal structures and roadside businesses from public spaces. Food cart owners and small traders in several cities have complained that the drive has affected their livelihoods.
Tahira questioned why she was being prevented from working despite trying to earn a living independently. Referring to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s statements about women’s empowerment, she asked why she was being stopped from working as a woman.
The matter also drew attention on social media. Sindh Culture Minister Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah contacted Tahira after her video about the incident went viral and assured her that he would raise the issue with the relevant authorities. He also approached Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan for assistance.
Lahore Deputy Commissioner’s spokesperson Haris Ali said the administration had zero tolerance for encroachments and that no one could be allowed to occupy public spaces illegally.
He said Tahira’s application for a model cart was being considered and that she would be allowed to set up a food business at a legally designated location reserved for model carts.
“Because setting up a dhaba or cart is not allowed everywhere, a place has been reserved for it in every commercial area,” the spokesperson said.
Tahira, meanwhile, said she wanted only an opportunity to earn through her own efforts rather than depend on financial assistance.
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