By Peer Mohammad Amir Qureshi
A compelling photograph has recently surfaced across social media platforms, displaying a
storefront adorned with a heartbreaking plea: “Do not Ashame yourself by asking for credit.
Kindly refrain from soliciting credit.” A multitude of perspectives and narratives emerge from
netizens and stakeholders within the community. To my surprise, I was tagged by
acquaintances in conjunction with this very post. This begs the question: what motivated the
proprietor to take such harsh action? As a steward of my own establishment, having negotiated
its obstacles for more than three months, I feel motivated to understand the reasoning behind
this public announcement.
I recently wrote an article entitled “An Average Kashmiri’s Average Life,” in which I delved
deeply into the numerous obstacles that merchants and business owners face in the Kashmir

region. Currently, after the implementation of CST and GST, profitability remains elusive, with a
modest nine to ten percent margin constituting the hard-earned benefits for the merchants
working against the odds. It might be argued that a 10 percent profit margin, far from being
inconsequential or evasive, is indeed attainable. However, it is imperative to acknowledge the
myriad challenges confronting shopkeepers, who must contend with overhead costs such as
rent, electricity bills, and administrative fees. Furthermore, the specter of losses looms large,
manifested through expiration and other unforeseen hazards like dishonesty by customers and
intrusion of rats and mice in the shops.
Shopkeepers are compelled to settle their accounts with distributors within a mere seven-day
timeframe. Failure to meet these obligations could result in the forfeiture of stocked inventory.
Consequently, shopkeepers find themselves entangled in a contractual bind, left with no
recourse but to navigate the terms dictated by the distributor, devoid of alternative avenues. In
contrast to the shopkeeper’s constrained circumstances, customers enjoy the freedom to
patronize any supplier of their choosing, unbound by contractual obligations. Yet, the
photograph depicting the shopkeeper’s plea against extending credit underscores a crucial
point: reliance on credit transactions can imperil the livelihood of the shopkeeper.
Consider a scenario where a customer accumulates a month’s worth of stock valued at seven
thousand rupees. According to the ten percent profit margin, the shopkeeper anticipates earning
seven hundred rupees. However, if the customer only remits five thousand rupees, the
shopkeeper is left with nothing to show for their efforts. Indeed, the shopkeeper finds
themselves ensnared in a precarious predicament, compounded by the necessity of settling
accounts with distributors upfront. This financial burden precipitates immense hardship,
compelling the shopkeeper to seek recourse in the form of loans, whether from financial
institutions or from family and acquaintances. Such indebtedness serves as a relentless vortex,
threatening to engulf the shopkeeper in a cycle of financial strain and uncertainty.
In my perspective, the tireless dedication of Kashmiri shopkeepers stands unrivaled, with
grueling 12 to 14-hour workdays distinguishing them from their counterparts in other
professions. Despite their Herculean efforts and substantial investments in both time and
capital, they find themselves barely scraping by. The underlying enigma lies in the elusive
nature of profit margins, exacerbated by the formidable challenges pervading Kashmir’s
business landscape. Within this milieu of adversity, the people of Kashmir grapple with
entrenched poverty and a dearth of employment opportunities, rendering the pursuit of financial
stability an elusive quest. In such a scenario, the sobering reality emerges: for many, the toil of
earning fails to match the burden of expenditure, leaving them solely focused on meeting their
most basic needs.
The writer can be reached at [email protected], X: @peermohdamir

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