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If there’s one fantasy most Pakistanis have from all the movies they’ve watched, it’s getting a celebrity-like tattoo on their body. Even though there are not many proper and professional tattoo parlors in the country, the business still seems to grow significantly.
According to a report by Samaa TV, roadside tattoo parlors in Pakistan are creating a buzz amongst Pakistan’s youth. However, these roadside ‘dhaaba tattoo’ parlors are nowhere near professional, and the ‘artists’ are just doing so to ‘feed their children’.
Tattoo parlors all over the world are famed for the emphatic designs they make on peoples’ bodies, while also taking care of the hygiene and medical protocols that need to be covered while working with a needle on human skin. People get a sense of satisfaction, that they might feel pain during the tattoo process, but there would no side-effects once it is done.
As for these roadside tattoo parlors in Pakistan, the same needle is used on as many people, that too, out in the open, where thousands of germs and viruses roam free. Furthermore, the same needle used on different people creates a high chance of them getting HIV or AIDs.
The youth of Lahore is going crazy for these tattoo stalls that are set outside the Daata Darbar. It’s a cheap alternative for the lower-middle class who could never afford uptown posh tattoo parlors that exist in Karachi and Lahore. But the grave dangers that come along with this short process of inking can last a lifetime.
It is the diligent responsibility of Lahore’s Assistant and Deputy Commissioner that these fake-tattoo parlors be removed from the streets and these tattoo artists be charged and fined, which is the only way of getting rid of this vice that has started to gain fame.
With different designs and fruity heart-and-arrow tattoos, the only thing the youth of Pakistan will gain is medical complexities that will hurt them in the future. Here’s to hoping the authorities take strict action against these roadside tattoo parlors.
