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Karachi shipbuilders waiting for tide that lifts their boats higher

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Muhammad Khan, a resident of Machar Colony — a coastal town tied to the shipbuilding industry for a long time — was only 15 when he joined the boatyard, where new seafaring vessels are built from keel to the mast and old ones, including modern-day launches, are brought in for all kinds of repairs.

“Shipbuilding is a craft as old as Hazrat Noah (AS),” he tells Geo.tv, “Our elders chose this profession many decades ago and we are following in their footsteps.”

A variety of seafaring vessels are constructed at this boatyard. These include ships, boats, launches, and even fishing trawlers. However, almost everything involved in getting these ships up from the ground and into the sea is done by hand.

“We are deeply disappointed in the government for not providing the requisite facilities to shipbuilders, even the injured workers. Because of this, many skilled workers have given up on their craft and taken up new lines of work,” laments Khan.

According to him, this business is not even registered due to which the workers have to face problems.

However, Karachi’s boatbuilders take all these challenges in stride and do not let themselves be daunted by the vagaries of the times.

Boatmakers working on seafaring vessels in Karachi. — Facebook screengrab/Geo Digital
Boatmakers working on seafaring vessels in Karachi. — Facebook screengrab/Geo Digital

The unmatched skill of these artisans is reflected in the fact that while shipbuilding across the world is done with the help of boat-building plans (blueprints), Karachi’s boatbuilders do not rely on them.

Aoun Ali, another shipwright in the colony, says he was merely 14 when he joined his father in this profession. Despite having a BSc in Mathematics, Aoun chose to follow in his forefathers’ footsteps to make a career out of boat building.

At first, he would make regular boat-building plans. “However, now the skill has improved beyond architecture and engineering. Shipbuilding is second nature to us now and we no longer need blueprints to do it,” he says proudly.

The picture shows boats standing at a boatyard in Karachi. — Facebook screengrab/Geo Digital
The picture shows boats standing at a boatyard in Karachi. — Facebook screengrab/Geo Digital 

That is not to say the shipbuilders have entirely discarded the use of blueprints. Aoun says that if any official organisation commissions any work, the builders use plans. “For instance,” he adds, “we prepared boats for Karachi Port, which we worked on using boat-building plans given to us by the institution. It’s just that our shipbuilders are not dependent on maps and can do their work skillfully without having to use too.”

Speaking on the matter of the types of wood used in the process, Aoun informs Geo.tv that initially Burma teak wood from Burma was used in shipbuilding.

“However, after it became expensive, we began to use pine wood from Malaysia. When that too became too costly, we began to import wood from Congo for the hull of the ship, and local wood for its structure.”

For all their skills, the shipbuilders do not shy away from admitting that the real challenge in the whole process is wood cutting, which is the most crucial and dangerous part of the profession.

Karachi shipbuilders waiting for tide that lifts their boats higher

Manzoor Ahmed, another worker in the Colony, has spent a large part of his youth chopping wood in the yard. He says that the first time he saw the cutting of wood, he was stunned and wondered how he would handle the wood’s weight. “But when a person sets his mind to a task,” he chuckles, “Allah gives him the courage.”

He says that when the wood breaks, like a bare sword it can hit any part of the body. “But after years of experience, we are not afraid anymore.”

However, Manzoor highlights how the rising inflation has affected the livelihood of these builders. “In my early days, I worked as a helper for Rs600 a week … now the labourers are paid Rs6,000 a week in the boatyard,” he reflects.

However, shipbuilding is merely one aspect of their job. At the end of the day, the sea is everything to these shipbuilders: friend, comrade, and enemy. As soon as the water level rises, these shipbuilders push their creations into the ocean, hoping that God will protect them and their handiwork.

The picture shows boats being built at a boatyard in Karachi. — Facebook screengrab/Geo Digital
The picture shows boats being built at a boatyard in Karachi. — Facebook screengrab/Geo Digital 

After the launches are ready, they are brought to the shore with the help of cranes. From here, Javed Hashmi and his team take over. A crew of 20 to 25 people works to launch the ships into the ocean.

Hashmi too has been associated with this work since his childhood. His lifelong experience as a seaman allows him to deeply understand the immensity as well as the profundity of the ocean.

“The seawater rises on the first and fifteenth days of the moon,” he informs Geo.tv.

“As soon as the water rises,” Hashmi continues, “crew members lower the ship into the sea with the help of a crane and greased planks, which are slid under the vessel while it is still on the shore. Then it is handed over to the sea with the help of two boats.”

Hashmi says that he and his entire crew wait for the water to rise and pray that the ship does not hit the seabed. If the water level is low, the ships get stuck in the seabed and it takes many months to get them out.

The story of these beach-dwelling boatbuilders, carving their living out of the finest of the seaworthy woods, while keeping their ears to the breezy whispers of the whimsical as well as the dreadful ocean, reads like a romance, but in this tale, Adam’s son is not waiting for the descent of a fairy, but for the ascent of the sea.

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Pakistan

Fazlur Rehman says the government led by Shehbaz won’t be able to deliver

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Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the head of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), expressed doubts on Wednesday over the viability of the Shehbaz Sharif administration, stating that he believes the new system will fail if citizens go to the streets.

Fazlur Rehman stated on Wednesday’s “Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath” segment of Geo News that “the parliament will likely be a rubber stamp.” There are simply too many obstacles for this government to handle. In the end, politicians will be held accountable for all of the shortcomings.”

The “crime is committed by someone else and the politicians take its responsibility,” he said, calling it bizarre. The leader of JUI-F declared that his organization will demonstrate against the establishments that had turned the elections into a “game.”

Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the Chief of JUI-F

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Fazl has previously said that he would abstain from the by-elections for the National Assembly and provincial assembly seats. In addition, he declared that on April 25, following Ramadan, he will start a protest campaign against the purported election manipulation from Balochistan.

“We firmly believe that there will be a rigged general election in 2024. And the factor that changed the outcome would be our aim. We reject the findings that led to the formation of this government,” he declared.

The leader of JUI-F stated that they disagreed with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa election results.

“[Earlier] The issues with the PTI were ideological and not election-related,” he said.

He stated that the party had not yet made the decision to work with the PTI. He did concede, though, that the Imran Khan-led party’s attitude has changed for the better. He remarked that it was a positive attitude and that it would not be a problem if the two parties moved together.

Fazl also revealed that he told Nawaz Sharif, the former prime minister, that he thought of him as a new blue-eyed boy during their meeting.

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Food

The center is urged by Sindh to provide water supplies for crop production.

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Jam Khan Shoro, the minister of Sindh irrigation, urged Islamabad on Thursday to guarantee the province’s continuous water supply, stressing that there should never be a water scarcity for agricultural production.

Speaking on the matter, the minister stated that there is a disagreement with the federation about Sindh’s water scarcity.

“The Nara and Rohri canals are getting 7,200 cusecs of water, while there is up to a 70% shortage of water in other canals,” he stated.

Shoro continued, saying that as part of the rotation scheme, the government is guaranteeing the availability of potable water and crops.

According to him, the government is developing a different plan to remove rainwater from the Hakro, Dhoro Puran, and Left Bank outfall drains.

“A large gate will be erected at RD 210 as part of the plan,” he stated, adding that the responsible deputy commissioners of the aforementioned drains have been asked to submit a report.

He gave DC Mirpurkhas instructions to clear obstructions from the Puran and Dhoro drains.

The Indus River System Authority (IRSA) was requested by the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) to release water from the Tarbela Dam above the 1,420-foot storage level one day prior.

The move, according to a Wednesday story in The News, is expected to jeopardize Sindh’s seeding of rice and cotton, the two principal Kharif crops.

The paper states that Wapda’s orders for IRSA were given against the backdrop of the tunnel project’s (T3) need for water, as using water from low-level outputs would impede development.

During the early Kharif period, which runs from April 1 to June 10, Sindh urgently requires water supplies from Tarbela Dam at Indus. Should the output of cotton crops be impacted in 2024–2025, the textile industry would need to import it at a cost in the billions of dollars.

Concerning Wapda’s inability to finish its tunnel projects, Sindh voiced its concerns during the IRSA technical committee meeting.

In order to plant rice and cotton on schedule, the provincial authorities emphasized during the conference that the Tarbela reservoir’s low-level exits should discharge the maximum amount of water possible.

It was made quite evident that there isn’t any water at all, not even for drinking, at the Kotri Barrage, the last barrage on the Indus.

Shoro told The News that the matter would be discussed at the advisory committee meeting on April 2. But Sindh must release as much water as possible early in the Kharif season; otherwise, the province will suffer an unparalleled loss in the yield of its Kharif crops.

“We oppose storing water at the level that Wapda has requested. According to the water pact, Sindh needs to discharge the most water possible; if there is a shortage, it should be shared with all the provinces, the minister stated.

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ISLAMIC

In Pakistan, Eidul Fitr 2024 is most likely to occur on THIS day.

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According to Maulana Azad, scientific observations indicate that this year’s Shawwal crescent moon would probably be visible on Ramadan 29.

In order to see the Eidul Fitr moon, he also alluded to using scientific observations and forecasts.

Maulana Azad recalled his interactions with former federal minister Fawad Chaudhry, stating that he informed the minister that scientific findings are acknowledged and accepted by the Ruet-e-Hilal committee.

He did, however, state that Islamic testimony and principles will be the basis for the ultimate decision about the Eidul Fitr moon.

It is important to note that in 2024, Pakistanis will observe a 29-day Ramadan and, should the crescent moon be seen on April 9, would celebrate Eidul Fitr on April 10.

Following the sighting of the Ramadan moon in Pakistan one day earlier, the first day of the holy month fell on March 12.

The statement came after the central and zonal Ruet-e-Hilal committees convened in Peshawar to sight the Islamic month’s crescent.

The beginning day of Ramadan was also declared by a number of nations in the Middle East, Europe, and other regions of the world to be March 12.

The commencement of the holy month was declared on March 12 by Australia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, and Oman due to the absence of the crescent moon sighting on Sunday evening.

According to the Islamic lunar calendar, the ninth month is Ramadan-ul-Mubarak, or the month of fasting.

Muslims are not allowed to eat, drink, gossip, or swear during the fast. Instead, they are urged to concentrate on meditative activities like prayer, reading the Holy Quran, and charitable giving.

The minimum sum that must be deducted from bank accounts on the eve of the first day of Ramadan is Rs. 135,179, as notified by the government for the Zakat Year 1444–1445 A.H.

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