KARACHI: There are no layouts or drawings on the table, though such sketches are usually required to build high-quality boats that can navigate stormy waters and survive rough seas. Yet, workers are busy at the biggest boat-building yard in Pakistan that is located at the fish harbor in the port city of Karachi.
“Everything, right from drawing to layout and measurements, is there in our minds,” smiles 52-year-old Muhammad Arshad while doing his work.
A carpenter, Arshad is among the 3500 skilled workers who are employed by the country’s informal boat building sector. He has spent the last 35 years at this facility, which also employs a number of unskilled laborers.
Most workers here earn between Rs1200 ($11) and Rs1500 ($14) on a daily basis, though some of them, with exceptionally high skills, even pocket Rs1800 ($17) per day.
Since drawings, charts, and layouts are alien objects to the craftsmen here, they usually discuss the owner’s requirements in details while booking an order. Their standard conversation at such occasions may include questions about the material that needs to be used and the measurements of the vessel, among other things.
Despite the traditional methodology of its workers, the boat-building yard is known for its skilled craftsmanship. Its signature quality is reflected in the design, stability, and beauty of the products.
“We make fishing boats and cargo ships for domestic and international clients,” Hajji Muhammad, President of the Boat Builders’ Association, told Arab News. “We also supply our products to Iran, Yemen, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.”
A fishing ship manufactured at the yard can cost between Rs1 million ($9506) and Rs20 million ($190114), depending on its design and the quality of the material.
“A ship equipped with 400 horsepower engine costs about Rs20 million, depending on the wood we use,” he added. “The price may further go up, if additional material is consumed.”
Under normal circumstances, a medium size boat can take about a year to complete. Cargo ships take much longer, even though they demand more labor and work hours.
Currently, the builders are taking orders for cargo vessels since the demand for fishing boats has gone down due to a variety of reasons, including the use of over-aged vessels.
“The prices of cargo boats is usually between Rs30 million ($285171) to Rs120 million ($1140685),” said Hajji Muhammad.
Owing to the time-consuming nature of the job, about 30 to 40 fishing vessels are built every year. This is over and above the repair work at the yard that rarely comes to an end.
The average life of a boat is 25 years, but a significantly large number of fishermen rely on their old vessels since many of them cannot afford new ones. The Karachi Fish Harbor Authority (KFHA), which regulates the harbor’s affairs, plans to formalize the sector by introducing some basic facilities.
“We want to give it the status of an industry and make it one of the foreign exchange earning sectors by encouraging exports of fishing and cargo boats,” said Mudassir Iqbal, KFHA Managing Director.
Pakistan’s craftsmen build boats without layouts and sketches
Pakistan’s craftsmen build boats without layouts and sketches
Pakistan court directs authorities to form medical board to assess Imran Khan’s eye condition
- Islamabad High Court rejects jailed ex-PM’s request for immediate transfer to private hospital
- Medical board comprising doctors from PIMS and Shifa to submit report on possible transfer
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani high court on Thursday directed authorities to form a medical board of government doctors to assess whether jailed former prime minister Imran Khan needs to be transferred to a hospital, his party said, following a rejection of his request to be moved to a private facility for treatment.
The development comes after the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) said last week that Khan’s vision had “improved remarkably” since he was given an Anti-VEGF injection amid concerns related to his eyesight.
Anti-VEGF injections are commonly used to treat retinal vein occlusion and other retinal vascular disorders by reducing swelling and abnormal blood vessel growth inside the eye. Prior to the development, the ex-premier had complained of rapid deterioration in vision in one of his eyes.
“The Islamabad High Court has rejected Imran Khan’s request for immediate transfer to Shifa International Hospital,” the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said in a post on X.
“The court directed that the Chief Commissioner immediately constitute a medical board comprising doctors from PIMS and Shifa Hospital,” it continued. “The medical board will submit a report, on the basis of which the Chief Commissioner will decide whether a hospital transfer is to take place or not.”
The PTI said the court’s decision had raised questions over the judiciary’s independence.
“Delaying a medical emergency and handing it over to administrative discretion is a violation of human rights,” it said. “The issue of Imran Khan’s health is not just about one individual but reflects the entire judicial and state system.”
The 74-year-old cricketer-turned politician has been in prison since August 2023 in cases that he and his party say are politically motivated.
Khan was taken to PIMS for a medical procedure earlier this year, as his party questioned the transparency of the medical update and demanded independent access to his care.
Khan was removed from office in April 2022 through a parliamentary vote of no confidence that he says was orchestrated at the behest of the former administration in Washington by his political rivals with backing from the military. His allegation has been denied by all parties involved.
Since his imprisonment, Khan has faced multiple convictions and ongoing legal proceedings that authorities say follow due process, while his party describes them as efforts to sideline him from politics.
