Sialkot’s declining sports industry
Reuters
Published
March 22, 2011
![Shakeel Aslam, 13, strings cane onto the handle of a cricket bat at a factory. Shakeel Aslam, 13, strings cane onto the handle of a cricket bat at a factory.](https://i.dawn.com/2011/03/sialkot-08.jpg)
![Workers pack soccer balls into sacks before they are dispatched for sale at a factory. Workers pack soccer balls into sacks before they are dispatched for sale at a factory.](https://i.dawn.com/2011/03/sialkot-01.jpg)
![Workers pack soccer balls at a factory. Workers pack soccer balls at a factory.](https://i.dawn.com/2011/03/sialkot-02.jpg)
![Ramzan Ahmed, 70, stitches a soccer ball at a factory. Ramzan Ahmed, 70, stitches a soccer ball at a factory.](https://i.dawn.com/2011/03/sialkot-03.jpg)
![Safder Ahmed, 45, applies paint to field hockey sticks at a factory. Safder Ahmed, 45, applies paint to field hockey sticks at a factory.](https://i.dawn.com/2011/03/sialkot-04.jpg)
![Mirza Asif, 35, applies the final coats of varnish to a cricket bat at a factory. Mirza Asif, 35, applies the final coats of varnish to a cricket bat at a factory.](https://i.dawn.com/2011/03/sialkot-05.jpg)
![A worker looks over cricket balls ready for packing at a factory. A worker looks over cricket balls ready for packing at a factory.](https://i.dawn.com/2011/03/sialkot-06.jpg)
![Shakeel Aslam, 13, strings cane onto the handle of a cricket bat at a factory. Shakeel Aslam, 13, strings cane onto the handle of a cricket bat at a factory.](https://i.dawn.com/2011/03/sialkot-07.jpg)
![Shakeel Aslam, 13, strings cane onto the handle of a cricket bat at a factory. Shakeel Aslam, 13, strings cane onto the handle of a cricket bat at a factory.](https://i.dawn.com/2011/03/sialkot-08.jpg)
![Workers pack soccer balls into sacks before they are dispatched for sale at a factory. Workers pack soccer balls into sacks before they are dispatched for sale at a factory.](https://i.dawn.com/2011/03/sialkot-01.jpg)
![Workers pack soccer balls at a factory. Workers pack soccer balls at a factory.](https://i.dawn.com/2011/03/sialkot-02.jpg)
![Ramzan Ahmed, 70, stitches a soccer ball at a factory. Ramzan Ahmed, 70, stitches a soccer ball at a factory.](https://i.dawn.com/2011/03/sialkot-03.jpg)
![Safder Ahmed, 45, applies paint to field hockey sticks at a factory. Safder Ahmed, 45, applies paint to field hockey sticks at a factory.](https://i.dawn.com/2011/03/sialkot-04.jpg)
![Mirza Asif, 35, applies the final coats of varnish to a cricket bat at a factory. Mirza Asif, 35, applies the final coats of varnish to a cricket bat at a factory.](https://i.dawn.com/2011/03/sialkot-05.jpg)
![A worker looks over cricket balls ready for packing at a factory. A worker looks over cricket balls ready for packing at a factory.](https://i.dawn.com/2011/03/sialkot-06.jpg)
![Shakeel Aslam, 13, strings cane onto the handle of a cricket bat at a factory. Shakeel Aslam, 13, strings cane onto the handle of a cricket bat at a factory.](https://i.dawn.com/2011/03/sialkot-07.jpg)
![Shakeel Aslam, 13, strings cane onto the handle of a cricket bat at a factory. Shakeel Aslam, 13, strings cane onto the handle of a cricket bat at a factory.](https://i.dawn.com/2011/03/sialkot-08.jpg)
Pakistan's eastern city of Sialkot has been a major source of sports goods for international sporting events for decades. Recent exports of sports goods have fallen to an average $290 million from $343 million over the past four years because of the decline in Pakistan's share in international markets, according to Pakistan's Federal Bureau of Statistics. - Photos by Reuters
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Comments (6) Closed
Hello
Mar 22, 2011 06:14pm
how can this guy be of 13 while having a clear beard?
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Ehsan
Mar 22, 2011 11:43pm
Automation and education is the name of game in 21st century. People in Pakistan unfortunately lacks both qualities. Also some of the compnies are not bigh enough to invest in automation. Until some big investors or big corporations take charge. It would be hard to change the decline. China is eating us alive.
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John
Mar 23, 2011 02:00am
Since Pakistan got involved in the war on terror, for every dollar Pakistan gets for its role, the industry and companies in Pakistan lose a $100 because no one wants to visit Pakistan to trade with companies there. Its very hard convincing a manager in the UK or US to visit Pakistan or trade with companies in Pakistan, because they think it is a war zone. It would have been better for Pakistan to remain neutral.
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Zahid Shakoor
Mar 23, 2011 12:07pm
There is nothing to worry about Sialkot's declining sports industry. My comment may be disturbing but it is a reality and this phenomenon is occurring all over the country. It is not possible for one industry to survive when the whole country is following a downhill path. This is very similar to what a terminally ill patient undergoes. Every day the doctors and the visitors will tell the patient that you will get better and no one wants to tell the patients that he or she is going to die soon. It is probably the love for the departing soul that we never talk about the writing on the wall. The country is on a downhill course and would not do so without affecting this sports industry in Sialkot a strong indicator of a serious ailment.
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likeafridi
Mar 23, 2011 12:21pm
he is like afridi who is youngest everything...
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Zahoor
Mar 24, 2011 12:16pm
Hi, Since this issue is directly proportional to the energy crisis, least the crises solved it won't be stopped.
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