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Handloom industry: Swat's economic lifeline
An artisan is weaving woolen shawl on his handloom.
MINGORA: In the village of Islampur, Swat, Ghani Rahman toils over a leased handloom machine, deftly weaving yarn into a colourful woolen shawl that will sell in the market for up to Rs5,000. While his eyes and fingers are fixated on the loom before him, his lips murmur an inaudible prayer; some day he will own the machine so he can enjoy full wages for his manual labour.
The tiny village — which is nondescript save for its famed cottage industry — means to handloom material what Sialkot means to sporting goods. The craft contributes Rs10 million to the national exchequer and is the mainstay income for more than 80 per cent of the residing population. But despite the offering, it suffers from government indifference, lack of education and health facilities and non-existent labour laws.
The centuries-old industry has witnessed multiple transformations in the tastes and fashions of time. Executive Director of the Islampur Cottage Industry Association Hazir Gul says more than 10,000 men and women are actively serving the trade, while over 30,000 people are benefiting from it indirectly.
All year round, customers from Pakistan's major cities throng markets on the lookout for variations of shawls, cloths and other handicraft.
Peshawar tourist Abdul Wahab is a proud owner of 12 shawls. "We had heard great things about Islampur’s shawls so we decided to visit Swat and see for ourselves," he says.
Wahab's mother tells Dawn she is planning to buy more shawls for her family and friends. “I told my cousin who resides in the US about the quality of the shawls and she asked me to get some for her. She said she would visit Islampur when she comes to Pakistan.”
The Wahab family is just one example among many others. Other than Pakistan, the demand for these items is known to reach as far as Europe. Shopkeepers also frequently export their goods abroad.
Handloom weaving
According to the Islampur Cottage Industry Association (ICIA), the cottage industry comprises 3,000 handloom units owned by several individuals with over 80pc of the population making up its workforce.
In about 18 months of training, a person can acquire the skills needed to detect faults in the handlooms which are being produced.
An artisan is weaving woolen shawl on his hand loom.
Shawls and cloths are woven through a traditional handloom machine that the locals refer to as “khaadi”. Most artisans have their own looms but they are often required to pay rent for the shops they fix their machines in.
And even though the manufacturing process is not that complicated, local artisans describe the task of weaving shawls to be time-consuming.
Local artisans busy in weaving shawls on their handlooms in Islampur village.
Matiur Rehman, an artisan who has been serving the industry since 1995, says: “A shawl of common quality takes three hours to manufacture whereas the best quality can take up to a week.”
Another artisan, Faizur Rehman, works every day from early morning till 1pm and is only able to produce two shawls of ordinary quality for which he earns Rs500 in total.
An artisan is weaving a woolen shawl on his handloom.
Several varieties of shawls are produced for both males and females. Matiur Rehman is adept in the art of weaving five varieties of shawls for women and seven varieties of shawls for men.
Given the extent of labour, the cost of products can range from Rs1,000 for a shawl of ordinary quality to up to Rs15,000 for that of higher quality.
An artisan is weaving woolen shawl on his handloom.
MINGORA: In the village of Islampur, Swat, Ghani Rahman toils over a leased handloom machine, deftly weaving yarn into a colourful woolen shawl that will sell in the market for up to Rs5,000. While his eyes and fingers are fixated on the loom before him, his lips murmur an inaudible prayer; some day he will own the machine so he can enjoy full wages for his manual labour.
The tiny village — which is nondescript save for its famed cottage industry — means to handloom material what Sialkot means to sporting goods. The craft contributes Rs10 million to the national exchequer and is the mainstay income for more than 80 per cent of the residing population. But despite the offering, it suffers from government indifference, lack of education and health facilities and non-existent labour laws.
The centuries-old industry has witnessed multiple transformations in the tastes and fashions of time. Executive Director of the Islampur Cottage Industry Association Hazir Gul says more than 10,000 men and women are actively serving the trade, while over 30,000 people are benefiting from it indirectly.
All year round, customers from Pakistan's major cities throng markets on the lookout for variations of shawls, cloths and other handicraft.
Peshawar tourist Abdul Wahab is a proud owner of 12 shawls. "We had heard great things about Islampur’s shawls so we decided to visit Swat and see for ourselves," he says.
Wahab's mother tells Dawn she is planning to buy more shawls for her family and friends. “I told my cousin who resides in the US about the quality of the shawls and she asked me to get some for her. She said she would visit Islampur when she comes to Pakistan.”
The Wahab family is just one example among many others. Other than Pakistan, the demand for these items is known to reach as far as Europe. Shopkeepers also frequently export their goods abroad.
Handloom weaving
According to the Islampur Cottage Industry Association (ICIA), the cottage industry comprises 3,000 handloom units owned by several individuals with over 80pc of the population making up its workforce.
In about 18 months of training, a person can acquire the skills needed to detect faults in the handlooms which are being produced.
An artisan is weaving woolen shawl on his hand loom.
Shawls and cloths are woven through a traditional handloom machine that the locals refer to as “khaadi”. Most artisans have their own looms but they are often required to pay rent for the shops they fix their machines in.
And even though the manufacturing process is not that complicated, local artisans describe the task of weaving shawls to be time-consuming.
Local artisans busy in weaving shawls on their handlooms in Islampur village.
Matiur Rehman, an artisan who has been serving the industry since 1995, says: “A shawl of common quality takes three hours to manufacture whereas the best quality can take up to a week.”
Another artisan, Faizur Rehman, works every day from early morning till 1pm and is only able to produce two shawls of ordinary quality for which he earns Rs500 in total.
An artisan is weaving a woolen shawl on his handloom.
Several varieties of shawls are produced for both males and females. Matiur Rehman is adept in the art of weaving five varieties of shawls for women and seven varieties of shawls for men.
Given the extent of labour, the cost of products can range from Rs1,000 for a shawl of ordinary quality to up to Rs15,000 for that of higher quality.
