Rolling through time: Pakistan’s vanishing camel carts

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – In the midst of Karachi’s towering skyscrapers, bustling shopping centers, and roads dominated by cars and trucks, a relic of the past continues to navigate the city’s streets – a centuries-old mode of transportation that is rapidly fading from sight.

Camel carts, once a common sight in the downtown areas of Pakistan’s economic hub, have now been confined to only a few commercial streets in the city’s southern district, commonly referred to as “Old Karachi.”

While modernity has taken over much of the metropolis, these carts can still be spotted in pockets of the city, primarily used for loading and unloading wood and other materials at Karachi’s timber and scrap markets.

“This way of transportation is almost gone from Karachi. You’ll only find a few of us left,” said Ghulam Hussain, a camel cart owner, as he unloaded steel bars at a store in Lyari, one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods along the edge of the Arabian Sea.

“Keeping a camel is no small task. With the rising cost of fodder and the takeover of transportation by trucks and trailers, it’s getting harder to sustain this business,” said Hussain, who has been operating camel carts for over two decades.

The 55-year-old father of four earns between 5,000 to 6,000 Pakistani rupees ($18 to $22) daily, but a significant portion – 1,000 to 1,500 Pakistani rupees ($3.60 to $5.40) – goes toward feeding his camel.

Additionally, he pays another 1,000 Pakistani rupees ($3.60) to his helper, who assists him in loading and unloading goods.

According to Hussain, only 15 to 20 camel carts now operate in Karachi’s southern district, with the total number in the entire city not exceeding 150.

Patting his camel before fixing a saddle and attaching it to the cart, Mir Mohammad prepared for another day of work outside a factory in Shershah Colony, where camel carts still gather before setting out.

“My business is shrinking with every passing day. It’s obvious that people prefer trucks and vans because they’re faster and more efficient,” he said.

Pointing toward a truck driver sitting nearby, he chuckled and added, “He’s the reason my work is fading away … I honestly don’t know how much longer I can continue this. Maybe another year, maybe less, but it’s only a matter of time before we’re completely gone.”

- Camel population: Mixed pattern of growth and decrease

While Karachi’s camel carts are dwindling, Pakistan remains one of the top countries globally in terms of camel population – 10th worldwide and second in Asia, after Saudi Arabia, according to World Population Review.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that the global camel population has increased from nearly 13 million in the 1960s to over 35 million today.

However, Pakistan’s camel population has followed a different trajectory.

According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan, the country’s camel population currently stands at around 1.1 million, showing little to no increase over the past few decades.

The distribution of camels is concentrated in the southwestern province of Balochistan, which accounts for 40% of the total population, followed by Sindh (29%), Punjab (25%), and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (7%).

Between 1994 and 2004, Pakistan saw a sharp decline of 29% in its camel population, mainly due to severe droughts. The number dropped from 1.1 million in the early 1990s to just 800,000 by 2002. However, from 2007 onward, the population rebounded, reaching 1.1 million by 2019, where it has since stabilized.

Dr. Mohammad Shahid Nabeel, an official with Punjab’s Livestock Department, attributed this stagnation to various biological and economic factors.

“One-humped camels, which make up 95% of Pakistan’s camel population, take longer to reach reproductive maturity. They only breed in winter, reach puberty at four to five years, and have a gestation period of 13 months. This naturally limits their population growth,” he explained.

Additionally, the demand for camel meat, especially during the Muslim festival of Eid-ul-Adha, when thousands of camels are sacrificed, plays a role in keeping their numbers in check.

Hussain, the camel cart owner, follows this cycle himself. He plans to sell his camel during the upcoming Eid-ul-Adha and purchase a younger one to continue his trade.

“I do this every four or five years. It helps me afford a younger, stronger camel,” he said.

- Decline of camels in agriculture and transport

Camels have long played a vital role in Pakistan’s rural economy, particularly in desert and mountainous regions where they are used for drawing water, plowing fields, and transporting goods.

A well-fed camel can produce 10-15 liters of milk daily, making it an essential resource for many farming communities.

However, modernization, increasing maintenance costs, and shrinking grazing lands have led many farmers and transporters to abandon camel rearing.

“Those who breed camels on a large scale for commercial purposes still make a profit, especially during Eid-ul-Adha, but for farmers and laborers who use camels for agriculture and transportation, the costs have become unsustainable,” said Mohammad Safdar, a camel breeder from the Thal Desert in Punjab.

Speaking to Anadolu, Safdar explained that while some farmers continue to keep camels due to cultural and heritage reasons, their practical use has diminished.

“Feeding and taking care of a camel is expensive. With grazing lands disappearing and fodder prices rising, most farmers simply can’t afford to keep them anymore,” he said.

Additionally, he noted, tractors and trucks have replaced camels in farming and transport operations.

Nabeel partially agreed but stressed that camels remain indispensable in certain parts of Pakistan.

“In the vast deserts of Punjab and Sindh and the rugged mountains of Balochistan, camels are still essential. No other animal can survive in such extreme conditions,” he said.

“These areas lack sufficient crops and water, so camels remain the best option for milk, meat, and agriculture,” he said.

Back in Karachi, the few remaining camel carts continue their slow, rhythmic journeys through the city’s old quarters, a living testament to the past in an ever-modernizing metropolis – but for how much longer, no one can say.