Indus

& it's

Delta

An.wer Pirz.ado
 f

Indus & it's Delta

An.wer Piyza.do

Year: January 2013

Composing and Pesting : U mair Ali Memon

(0314-2580057)

Title Design : Ameeq Pirzado

Title Photography : Qaisar Pirzado

Printing: Al-Jannat Press Karachi

Quantity: 1000

Price Rs: 250/-

Published by: ANWER PIRZADO ACADEMY

Ph: 0334-3007566

All rights are reserved

 CONTENTS

PREFACE
INDUS EXPEDITION
• Expedition Indus 1 989 .................... . .... . . ..... ... . . . ..... . 8
• The Indus Flowing through History . ... .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
. .. . . ..

• The Thing of Beauty which is Indus. .

(A Journalist Account) .... . ...................... . . .. . . . . .. . .... 21
• Decline of Boat Culture .............. .................. . ........ 29
• The Dolphin Dives in . . ....... . . ..... . ... . .. . . . . . .......... ...... 4 1
• Anwer Pirzado Speech at the completion
of Indus expedition . ... ... ......... ... ............................. 48

WATER CASE (Random articles on water issue ofSindh)

• Indus dries up around SadhBelo ................. .............. 54
• Unjust water distribution . ............. ...... .................. . 57
• Issue of Water . .. . . .. . . . . . . . .. . ..
... . .. . .. . . .. . 6 1
. . . ... .... . . .. ... .· . ...

• Acute water shortage in Sindh as Punjab

gets 3% more than share ......................................... 63
• What is Historic share of water . ............................... 65
• Water crisis result of non implementation
over 1 99 1 water accord ................... ...... ................ 67
• Sukkur barrage : largest irrigation system of the world .... 70
• Quest for so-called Development leaves River Indus Dry... 15
• The Water War . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . 79

INDUS DELTA (Article on Indus Delta & Concept of Fairy Service)

• Concept: Promoting Community-based Eco-tourism in Indus
Delta through KARACHI-MUMBAI Ferry Service , ....... 85

• Coastal Resources Threatened .............................. 1 06

. .

• Ecological Disaster in Indus Delta . ............ ... ........... 1 1 0

• SOS for Indus Delta .... . . ... . . . . . . . ..... .. ...... ............. 1 1 8
. .

• Biggest Festival of Sindhu Delta ............ ........ . ....... 1 2 1

.

• The Sea Hits Back . ...... ............. ....... . .................. 1 24

• What lies Downstream Kotri Barrage? .................... 1 26 .

• Port City Declines to be a tiny Fishy Village ............. 1 29 .

• RBOD Pollutes Sindh'::; Sweet Water resources . 1 33 . . . . . . . . ..

INDUS DELTA RESEARCH STUDY

(Assignment of Pakistan Fisher Folk Forum) . . . . . ...... . . . 139
.. ..
 ...FROM ANWER PIRZADO ACADEMY

Anwer Pirzado was of the opinion that publishing

of the books is not the job of writers but of the publishing
companies and institutes. Unfortunately in Pakistan and
particularly in Sindh this area is still undeveloped. Realiz­
ing this dark scenario and the importance of legendary
Sindhi figure Anwer Pirzado's creative, intellectual and
- research work, his three sons (Zarar, Zaid and Amar)
along with few . close friends formed "Anwer Pirzado
academy" on his "treejho" to compile his valuable writ­
ings and publish in the form of books. So far from the
platform of Anwer Pirzado academy we have published 8
books in Sindhi language entitled ·as Mataan Wisaryo (his
famous short columns), Mumbai yatra (travellogue of
Mumbai) Bhittai (compilation of his articles and lectures
on Bhittai), Mohen jo Daro (articles about archeological
sites of sindh), Jadeed Sindhi Adab (articles about Sindhi
literature), Sindh (mixed articles), Bhun Jhun (columns
and editorials) and Interview aien taqreeron (interviews
-and speeches). In this way we have so far greatly com-
piled most of his writings in Sindhi language.
Anwer Pirzado academy has now taken the chal­
lenging task in its hands to similarly publish all of his eng­
lish writings. Anwer Pirzado with very few other conte!ll­
porary writers was one of the first Sindhi writers who
fought the case of Sindh in english language by regularly
reporting about so.cio-economic and political aspects in
daily Dawn, Star, Herald, Sindh tribune, The regional
times of Sindh etc. Anwer Pirzado spent all his life au­
thoring and documenting almost all the diversified aspects
of Sindh from Bhittai to Mohen jo daro, from Khirthar
mountains to Thar, from Indus to Culture and Civilization,
from Folk festivals to Cultural heritage of Sindh.
The book which is in your hands is a significant
document about Indus and Indus delta, its beauty, impor­
tance and current issues. Anwer Pirzado has always
fought for the core issue of water on all forums. He al­
ways thought that the issue of water is the survival iss�e
of Sindh and its people. Articles like unjust water distribu­
tion, water shortage and water theft are been reported in
the history of Sindh as a part of this struggle.
One of the long-awaited wish of Anwer Pirzado
was to travel along Indus river which was accomplished
when he got the offer from Sindh culture department to
travel on boats and carried out expedition of Indus in
1 989. This exciting and knowledgeable voyage lasted for
22 days and nights from Attock to kati bandar. This book
·
includes his exclusive experiences about Indus expedition.
Anwer Pirzado also got the chance to work for
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum where he got an opportunity to
obserye the Indus delta area much more closely. He wrote
a research report on the assignment of Pakistan Fisherfolk
 Forum which initially was supposed to be published by
_ fisherfolk but due to some reasons it could not happen.
Therefore, with the consent of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum
we are also including that exclusive research study in this
book. In 200 1 he was invited to SANA conference in
Washington DC where he delivered his memorable speech
about water issue in Sindh, which is also a part of this
book.
In last we would like to deeply thank and acknowl­
edge the partial financial support to publish this book by
Sarfraz Memon, one of the colleagues and close friends of
my father.
In our opinion Anwer -Pirzado was a social scien­
tist who has rediscovered Sindh by always exploring and
signifying the various aspects of Sindh and exploring
valaubales buried deep down in the rich history of Sindh.
Therefore, we.think itis our prime responsibility to com­
pile and publish all of his valuable writings. I hope the
readers would understand the fact that this is a book of
compilations of his various writings written at different
times therefore we are sorry for any repetitions, if any.
We are sure with the kind support and cooperation
of readers we would accomplish our aforementioned mis­
sion. We hope this book would serve as a reference book
about Indus and Indus delta and would help convey the
Sindh sentiments and perspective to English readers.

Dr Zaid Pirzado
Anwer Pirzado academy
A/64, Ph I, Gulshan-e-Hadid Karachi
Contact# 0334-3007566
 INDUS EXPEDITION
-----

_ ·/:
_

�----_.,..�r.-, �

Anwer Pirzado with Badar Abro during Indus expedition 1 989

 - I N D U S & IT'S D E LTA
8

EXPEDITION INDUS-1989

PROLOGUE

One fine morning, in the middle of October during

the year 1 989, as I was passing hurriedly through the cor-
·1 ridor of Sindh Secretariat (at Karachi), I came across Mr
Kalim Lashari, the then Deputy Secretary, Sindh Culture
Department.
He was equally in hurry as he was going to attend
some official meeting. However, wearing a meaningful
smile on his face, he said "Would you and Badar (Abro)
like to join us on an Indus voyage?"
The question shook my inner-self. And in the state
of excitement, something came out of my mouth sponta-
neously . . . "Yes, of course."
But before I overcome the excitement pertaining
to the possibility ofhaving such a great opportunity of en­
joying Indus voyage, the hands we shook enthusiastically
a few moments before were withdrawn with reciprocity.
Now while moving in different directions after bidding
farewell to each other, Kalim Lashari invited me to his
 I N D US & IT'S D E LTA·
9

office to speak about his offer in detail.

But before I called on Mr. Kalim Lashari in his
office to discuss the offer minutely, I rushed to my jour­
nalist friend Mr. Badar Abro, who by then was working •I

for a Sindhi daily Hilal-e-Pakistan, Karachi.

And when I told him about the offer of Indus voyage
given by Mr. Kalim Lashari, his instant reaction was "We
must go."
Meanwhile a few days passed away, and one day I
happened to barge into the office of Mr. Lashari. He said,
"Look, Anwer! you are having an important assignment of
the Sindh Culture Department for translating the volumi­
nous book of Dr. H.T. Sorley on Sindh's greatest poet
Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai in Sindhi. So, if you join us on
Indus voyage, which in fact is an Indus Expedition, and is
likely to take about a month, your assignment would suf­
fer as you would not be able to meet the deadline. So,
think about it seriously and only then get ready to go
along with us."
When I gave a rational thought to it, I found the
piece of advice given by Mr. Lashari quite reasonable,. and
in my self interest. It was because I was unemployed those
days and was making my both ends meet through free­
lance journalism. So, I thought if the income from the
translation work goes minus, how I would pull on as I
have to feed my family, and that I had no any savings· as
well. Thus I agreed with Mr. Lashari, but quite unwill­
ingly to take up the translation work and drop the idea of
joining expedition of Indus.
But whenever I happened to meet my friend Mr.
Badar Abro, he always insisted on joining the Expedition
 I N D U S & IT'S D E LTA
10

Indus. As a matter of fact I never told him that I had

agreed with Mr. Lashari that I may be dropped from the
expedition team so that I could accomplish the assignment
of translating Sorley's book on Bhitai.
And I also wished that if I am not there, my friend Mr.
Badar Abro must also not be there. It was some sort of
professional jealousy between two old friends. I therefore
always tried to give an impression to my friend that the
bureaucrats happened to be treacherous always, therefore
there were least chances of we two joining the Indus expe­
dition as it was being organised by the Cltre Department
of Sindh government.
But my friend (Badar Abro) always favored join­
ing the expedition, if after all it was possible.
Thus the time kept on passing with its set speed. My
prima facie policy was to console my friend and make him
mentally ready to give up high expectations about joining
the expedition more so because I myself was undecided
about it.
One day the local Sindhi newspapers carried a
short news item saying that such and such persons were
ready to embark upon a voyage of Indus from Attock in
the north to the Arabian Sea in the south.
The date announced for initiation of their voyage
was only two days later. The same day in the evening
when I happened to meet Badar Abro, he said, " Have you
gone through the news about Indus Expedition ? " ·

I said, " Yes". He said in a tone of lamenting, "

So, we are not there! "· I tried to console him, saying, "
Look, Badar ! the world is such. So you better forget
about it and plan for something else."
 I N D U S & ITS DELTA
11

In reply he had a long pause after which he said, " Okay,

let us chalk ouf a program to visit some Stone Age sites in
Sukkur area if after all we are not to be included in the
Expedition Indus ! "
But in the same breath, he said, " Why shouldn't
we make the last ditch effort to be included in the expedi­
tion?" I said, " What sort of effort ". He said, " Just think
about it, I don't know exactly what to do?
" I said, " Okay, let us go to see Madam Mehtab Rashdi
(who was, by then, the secretary, Sindh Culture depart­
ment.) He agreed, and we planned to visit her in the office
the very other day.
It was in fact some sort of a desperate effort on our
part as the day we planned to meet the Secretary, Sindh
Culture department, was simply at the nick of time as the
expedition was to begin only two days later at a far off
place such as Attock.
Now we were sitting in front of Madam Mehtab
Rashdi, the Secretary, Sindh Culture department in her
decorated office. And after formal chitchat, I expressed on
behalf of Mr. Badar Abro and myself a very strong desire
to join the Expedition Indus. On it quite instantly, she
lowered down her hand (which was equally beautiful as
she herself was) to press the button of the buzzer of her
telephone set to call her Private Secretary.
The man was on the line the other moment. And
what we heard Madam s_aying on wire was, "Arrange air
tickets for Anwer Pirzado and Badar Abro, two journal­
ists; to fly to Islamabad tomorrow by all means. They·
have to join the Expedition Indus at Attock the day after."
 ! N O U S & IT'S DELTA
12

THE INDUS-FLOWING THROUGH HISTORY

Indus, the greatest Himalayan river, which falls

from the height of 29,000 feet above sea-level and contin­
ues its flow downwards to the sea, has lured generations
of conquerors, tourists, explorers and people with great
aesthetic sense all over the world. Emanating from
Parkutta region of Tibet and leaving behind the fathomless
Mansrover lake of the Himalyan mountains, this legen­
dary river, crosses 2945 kilometres of zigzagging distance
to maintain its eternal link with the ocean in the south. It
enters into present Pakistan's territory at a place known as
Bagh-e-Darband after visiting Kashmir and some parts of
India.
In Latin, this river is named as Sindus, in Greek it
is called Sinthos and the Sanskrit language writes it as
Sindhu. It was due to some phonetic variations that the
word 'Sindh' was pronounced as 'Hindh', and 'Ind',
which finally resulted in the naming of this river as IN­
DUS by the occidentals. It is also known as the 'Lion
river', and 'Nylab', 'Abasin' and 'Mehran'.
About its age, experts of geology and physical ge­
·
ography of the Indus vhlley believe that it is as old as the
earth. It has perhaps seen glimpses of human life around it
 I N D U S & IT'S D E LTA
13

right from the Stone Age when people lived i n caves. It

also witnessed the growth of the highly organized soCiety
of the Indus civilization, remains of which are seen in the
ruins of Harappa and Mohen Jo Daro.
Topographically, the course of Indus, which is as­
sociated with many legends and myths, extends over four
different regions.
The northernmost region of Indus is the land of
glaciers and sky-high mountains, having human inhabita­
tion of unique nature, with complete social isolation and
special beauty. There are countless spots in the region
considered to be a tourist's paradise.
The second stage of this river begins from below
the snowline and continues down through mountains to
the city of Kalabagh in the Mianwali district of Punjab.
All along this part of its course, the river flows into gorges
with steep hills on both of its banks and travels through
the northern areas and the North-West Frontier Province.
The third region begins where the Lion River
comes out of the cage of gorges and gushes into the allu­
vial plains of Punjab and Sindh, at the juncture of great
beauty located at Kalabagh. From here onwards you have
the chance of sighting the diving of the Indus Dolphin
when you sail on the bosom of the river. On its journey
southwards, it flows through the whole of Sindh, up to the
city of Thatta where the Indus Delta begins.
The fourth and last segment of the river is its Delta
which covers an area of 5,000 sq. km. The mouth of the
Indus Delta spreads from Koqtngi creek to Koree creek in
the south-east, crossing a distance of about 200 kilome­
tres. The region is also known for its mangroves.
 I N D U S & IT'S D E LTA
14
-

Besides having its past history of possessing great

river ports, such as Debal Bunder, Lari Port, Keti Bunder
and Shah Bunder, at the time of the arrival of Dutch,
French, Portuguese and English merchansts, this region is
also the centre of camel-breeding, an age-old tradition
which finds mention in the travelogues of the early occi­
dentals who discovered the sea-routes and brought war
ships and trade vessels to Thatta, the then emporium of
Asia during early 17th century.
This area also has a number of ancient forts now in
ruins but still providing evidence of their past. Somewhere
among these ruins there would be the site of Debal Port
where the decisive war was fought in 712 between the
Arab General Muhammad Bin Qasim and the indigenous
ruler Raja Dahar for the ultimate conquest of Sindh by the
Arabs.
It would be intresting to note here that the dacoit
phenomenon has not entered the territory of the Indus
Delta and as such visitors can safely watch how the 2945
km long river falls into the deep sea through innumerable
creeks and also enjoy the charm of fishing, yachting and
sun-bathing in complete privacy and far from the madding
crowds.
Having looked at the long stretch of the land that
the course of Indus covers from its origin in the Himalyas
to its flowing in the Arabian sea, let us now have a look
on the panoramic fascination of the things of beauty along
its banks from its deltaic region to its very mouth in the
extreme north.
Not situated within the deltaic region but not far
away is Karachi, the largest metropolis in the country, the
 I N D U S & I T'S D E LTA
15

port city and the biggest industrial and business centre,

which because of its international and inter-city communi­
cation links also becomes a starting point for journey
through the Indus V(:llley.
In fact, a number of historic sites, associated w�th
the people who live in the land dominated by Indus, which
has been changing its course, has an easy access from and
can be conveniently reached from Karachi. Such sites in­
clude the Makli Matara, the Dumlotti wells of the British
days, the Baloch tombs and the Chowkandi graveyards.
Then, there is the ancient town of Thatta and close
to it and around the Makli hills are the famous mosques
built by Muslim rulers and the large necropolis, with
tombs of several saints.
Returning to the deltaic region of Indus, it is di­
vided into _innumerable creeks, some of which flow into
the Iridian territory before entering the sea. We can visit
the Jangisar ferry near Jherruk town in Thatta district. One
can see the Indus in one piece only at Jangisar ferry (a
place where. people cross the river both ways), because
further sooth, the river gets divided into creeks.
Alexander had reportedly crossed the Indus from
at least two points. One of them is mentioned as Patala.
Researchers have been in search of the site where Patala
was and some believe that is must be located around Jang­
isar ferry. Jangisar has yet another importance. It is a riyer
junction for the boats to carry the pilgrims of Haji Ibrahim
jo Melo, which continues for twelve days in a distant
creek near the Indian border. Usually known as the Fair· of
Fishermen, this Melo attracts fishermen from both Paki­
stan and India.
 I N D U S & IT'S D E LTA
16

When you come to the Jangisar ferry, you can also

visit the Gharo town of Thatta district, with its classical
Sindhi architecture. Another attractive site is the Sonda
graveyard which is enchanting due to engravings of the
limestone's used in the ancient grave.
While trekking the bed of Indus northwards, one
arrives at Jamshoro bridge which is the only site where the
delicious Paloo fish can be caught. Due to the blockade
created by the Ghulam Muhammad Barrage (or the Kotri
Barrage) the Paloo fish cannot travel northwards in Indus.
This has also caused a setback to the Boat Culture of
Sindh.
The tourist will enter the rich land of history, ar­
chaeology and architecture while proceeding further to the
north. The Laki hills are there with rich cave life, the rem­
nants of Indus Valley Civilization, the ancient torrents and
steep mountains as high as the Gorakh Hill, about 6,000
feet above sea level. This is the only site in Sindh having
snowfall. Otherwise Sindh is one of the hottest areas in
the subcontinent.
The Manchhar Lake, biggest in Asia, and the Run­
nikot, again the biggest ever stone fort of the world, are
located on the right bank of Indus near Sehwan. The
Haleji Lake and Keenjhar Lake, with fathomless water are
situated in Thatta district and one can see them during the
journey.
The most prominent site which comes later on in
the north is Mohen-Jo-Daro, the cradle of great Indus Val­
ley Civilization. The constructive as well as destructive
character of the Indus river can well be understood after
seeing Mohen Jo Daro which was established because of
 I N D U S & IT'S D ELTA
17

Indus and now faces the threat of destruction b y this river.

Then comes the largest irrigation system of the
world based on the Lloyd barrage, commonly knows as
the Sukkur barrage, as it is located close to the old Sukkur
city.
There is the ancient fort of Bakkhar near Sukkur
where great river wars were fought during British days.
Across the river from Sukkur is the dreamland of Sad­
hobelo and there is also the fascinating site of Satyun jo
Asthan (the place of chaste women), ancient Hindu places
of worship, still maintained lovingly.
At the Sukkur barrage, the Indus flows into a small
gorge and takes a mild curve to travel to the Guddu bar­
rage upstream. The Tori Bungalow built by the British
rulers in 1911 is worth seeing near Kandhkot. There is
also the city of Shikarpur, with the beautiful architecture
dating back some 400 years.
And before the tourist would cross the present
Sindh - Punjab border to reach the boatbridge at Mithan
Kot, there is the last resting place of Seraiki's great classi­
cal poet, Baba Khuwaja Farid.
Jampur comes next upstream. Besides the lush
greenery on both banks of the river, the enchantment of
this place counts much due to a small village known as
Kot Mughlan where Maulana Ubedullah Sindhi was born.
The great leader of Indian Muslims was educated at Jam-
"

pur town in Rajapur district of Punjab.

The town of Jampur is unique in the sense that a
large number of beautiful temples are left behind here by
the Hindus after the partition of the subcontinent.
The Taunsa barrage on Indus is also a place of
 I N D U S & IT'S D E LTA
18

great attraction. The big Muslim shrine in the city nearby

is a great meeting place for people - the Baloch, the
Sindhis and the Punjabis who all gather there for their reli­
gious pursuits.
The Chasma barrage is again a thing of beauty
only to be seen. And then comes the city of Kalabagh in
the lap of Koh-e-Suleman. Sandwiched between the
mountain in the west and the Indus to the east, the old city
gives a look similar to Shikarpur so far as its classical ar­
chitecture is considered.
However, its great attraction lies in its location,
nearest to the bank of Indus like the cities of Rohri and
Sukkur.
Upstream of the Kalabagh city, nature has show­
ered special beauty over the fast flowing abasin, the Indus
which is known by this name in this region. So, Abasin
flows from the gorges like a natural fall. On its left is the
monumental city of Mari Indus, with a temple of jewels.
And going upstream one comes across many people of
Pakhtoon origin and of Awan caste busy collecting gold
particles from the dark grey sand of Abasin.
There are small tented villages of people known
locally as 'Kiriger' who extract gold out of the river bed. I
had an opportunity to interview some people engaged in
getting gold out of the river. For the members of the Indus
Expedition team they demonstrated their skill. After about
half an hour of processing the sand collected from the bed
of the river, they succeeded in exhibiting the glittering
particles of gold ill the mass of the grey sand.
They told us that they would mix those gold parti­
cles with mercury and after heating up the solution they
 I N D U S & ITS D E LTA
19

would get the gold i n solid shape. Their average income

from the labour they were engaged in was not more than
Rs. 5,000 per month for a family of five, as they claimed.
So, this whole area with unique panoramic features
is worth seeing. In this paradise for the tourists, there is a
Forest Lodge known as Dui Banda. Constructed in 1975,
the lodge located in NWFP provides comfortable accom­
modation for the tourists. The river flows, in fact, roars
past the lodge, which is perched on an elevated site just
above. The rumbling sound of the rushing waves of
Abasin can be heard in the tranquility of the steep moun­
tains in whole of the area. In the vicinity of the lodge there
are a number of natural springs gushing out mineral-rich
water.
There is also a grave of a famous hunter of the
area, Aziz Shikari (born in 1918, died in 1982). As our
guide told us, Aziz Shikari was a very capable guide for
tourists, especially those fond of hunting.
The ancient city of Makhad Sharif has a great.
wealth of classical architecture. The mazar of Noori Pir, a
Muslim saint, is situated at an elevation. One has to climb
up 182 steps, from the river level, to reach it. The 'Ohora'
Tarup' is the narrowest gorge where Abasin flows with
furious speed. There are some sites here with legends as­
sociated with supernatural beings.
The most fascinating place on the way is Khair- , "

garh, a town whose name is said to be associated with the

Indus expedition of Alexander, the great. Our guide told
us that the Greek conqueror was compelled to camp at this '
place for a period of three months because the river was in ·
spate and his army could not cross it. Finally hectic strug-
 I N D U S & IT'S DELTA
20

gle, when the troops of Alexander ultimately crossed the

river safely, the place was,named Khairgarh (safe place). .
A small distance from here is a magnificent stone
fort built by the Moghul King, Akbar, the great. Quite
nearby is the famous site of the confluence of two rivers,
the Abasin and the Kabul river. In the lower region of In­
dus, the second confluence is at Panjnand w}J,�re five riv­
ers of Punjab come together in Jhelum and finally get ab­
sorbed in the Indus.
The different faces of Indus, from Parkutta and
Darband to the Indus Delta, are countless, each having a
fascination of its own. It is an object of beauty, the Indus,
worth seeing, as no words can depict it. It requires an en­
thusiasm for adventure and an aesthetic sense to enjoy it.
Once seen, the glimpses of Indus will continue to flash
upon the inner eye of those who have experienced its sight
and sound.