Mansoor Sadiq

Wazirabad – known around the world for its exports of fine quality utensils – is now grabbing the world attention for its high-end daggers, knives and fantasy swords, reports WealthPK. Situated on the banks of Chenab River nearly 100km from Lahore, this city has become a centre for manufacture of swords, daggers and precious hunting knives. Talking to WealthPK, Khalid Mehmood Chadda, a knife and sword manufacturer, said the manufacture of knives and daggers in Wazirabad dated back to the era of Alexander the Great.

He said while confronting Raja Porus on the banks of Jhelum River, the wooden handle of Alexander’s sword got damaged, needing repairs. The sword came to Wazirabad (for repairs) after which the industry flourished there. Talking about the manufacture and designs of daggers, Khalid said a dagger and sword consisted of three parts: metallic blade, wooden and plastic handle and leather cover (sheath). To reach its pristine condition, a dagger or a sword goes through different stages and procedures, he added.

It has also been noted that following the Turkish historical fiction and adventure television series ‘’Ertuğrul’’, a trend emerged in Pakistan and worldwide to decorate drawing rooms with swords, shields and hunting daggers and sheaths, raising their demand manifold. Wazirabad and its outskirts have become a hub of fantasy swords following their online trading. Salman Ali, a traveller and writer, told WealthPK that Pakistan is a place where novel handicrafts could be found (after) every 10 miles. He said Wazirabad and outskirts were known for their hunting tools, daggers and swords since ages.

Mahmood Chaudhry, who works at a workshop of daggers and fantasy swords, said J-2 and D-2 steel was being used for making daggers and swords in Wazirabad, adding that some fancy and fantasy swords were made of eight-chrome steel. He said Damascus steel was considered the best for making daggers and swords and they had a unique identity. The daggers crafted from Damascus steel are said to have a thousand layers, which are repeatedly compressed and heated under extremely high pressure. This process is called forging, which helps reveal the textures on a dagger’s surface.

“We also introduced Damascus steel in knife and dagger-making here, which was invented by the Muslims. One can witness that one thousand layers are compressed on the sturdy look of a dagger. Damascus steel is a natural material and it is also called mysterious steel,” he said. Disclosing the crafting of a dagger, he said handle was a very important tool that enhanced its beauty. He said swords from Wazirabad had also been used in Hollywood movies including ‘Braveheart’, ‘Lord of the Rings’, ‘Game of Thrones’ and many other adventure movies and series.

Talking to WealthPK, online trading entrepreneur Wahab Ali said following ‘Ertuğrul Ghazi’, the demand for swords had increased manifold – both locally and internationally – and many online entrepreneurs from the outskirts of Sialkot and Gujranwala were earning thousands of dollars. Hasnain Ali, a manufacture of fantasy swords, told WealthPK that fantasy sword handles and sheaths were studded with precious gems and stones. He said the swords named after the famous Muslim soldiers and commanders were high in demand.

“We have customers from Pakistan and all over the world and our products have given a new identity to Pakistan all over the world,” he said. Manufacturers and Stainless Utensils Association of Wazirabad informed WealthPK that there were 400 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on the outskirts of Wazirabad which were engaged in the manufacture of cutlery (utensils) and hunting equipment. As many as 150 SMEs out of 400 are involved in the production of daggers and swords of the finest quality. As per data, this industry exported over $40 million worth of knives, cutting blades, swords and daggers.

The total volume of exports (spoons, forks, fish-knives, butcher-knives, kitchen items, razor-blades, scissors, and similar parts of arms) during 2021-22 was recorded at $142 million.It is worth mentioning that approximately 95 percent of swords and knives are exported to the US and other European countries. Wazirabad has been famous for its cutlery, daggers and swords long before the creation of Pakistan and falls in the category of light engineering, said an official of the Manufacturers and Stainless Utensils Association of Wazirabad.

The basic raw material used in the manufacture of cutlery and hunting equipment is steel and almost 70 percent of it is manufactured locally, while the rest of 30 percent is imported from Japan and Germany.Senior Vice Chairman Pakistan’s Cutlery & Stainless Utensils Manufacturers & Exporters Association and Wazirabad-based ‘’Pak Handicrafts Owner’’ Adnan Javed informed WealthPK that this was one sector where Pakistan had developed capabilities to penetrate high income markets such as US, Germany, France, Belgium and other European countries. This industry employs around 10,000 to 15,000 workers and needs modern tools to craft high quality products.

Credit : Independent News Pakistan-WealthPk