Tahira Habib Jalib, daughter of legendary Pakistani poet Habib Jalib, has turned to selling homemade food from a roadside cart in Lahore after facing financial difficulties.
Tahira told local media outlet that she started selling food near Model Town Market after spending thousands of rupees preparing meals for the business. However, she was stopped from operating the cart on her first day.
According to Tahira, municipal staff initially appreciated her efforts and told her they respected her for earning through hard work. She said other officials later arrived and instructed her to pack up the cart and leave.
She also alleged that she was asked to pay extortion money to continue operating the cart.
لاہور سے تعلق رکھنے والے عالمی شہرت یافتہ شاعر مرحوم حبیب جالب کی صاحبزادی طاہرہ اپنے ڈھابے ٹھیئے پر گھر سے بنا کر لائے ہوئے کھانے فروخت کر رہی ہیں، طاھرہ حبیب جالب کو لاھور کے اس مقام پر ڈھابہ لگانے سے روک دیا گیا#Pakistan #punjab #Lahore pic.twitter.com/YYNxWPXWfF
— Muhammad Kamran (@mkamran04) August 20, 2026
Tahira had submitted an application to the Lahore Deputy Commissioner’s Office in June under the Punjab government’s Model Cart Market scheme. She said her application was rejected because she allegedly did not meet the required criteria, but no clear explanation was provided.
She questioned why women seeking to earn through their own efforts were facing such obstacles.
After sharing a video about the incident on social media, Sindh Culture Minister Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah took notice and contacted her. He assured her that he would raise the matter with the relevant authorities and also approached Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan for assistance.
Tahira said she has been running a private cab service since 2014 and prefers earning through hard work rather than seeking financial assistance.
The post Habib Jalib’s Daughter Forced to Sell Homemade Food on Lahore Streets appeared first on ProPakistani.
