Dwindling shoppers in crisis-hit Pakistan's Rawalpindi market ahead of Eid al-Fitr, the holiday that marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. "In the past, this place used to be so crowded that finding space to move around was a challenge. However, now the public is grappling with inflation and facing difficult choices between food and clothing," says Muhammad Asif, a shopkeeper in Rawalpindi. The South Asian country of more than 220 million people saw year-on-year inflation hit 35.4 percent in March. Food prices surged more than 47 percent in 12 months, with transport costs rising by 55 percent. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES