‘Blessed Conquest’ ran between Karachi and Thatta for the British: historian Mubarak Ali

Sassui Palijo says navy to help extract vessel after water level is brought down.

KARACHI: The mysterious ship recently unearthed by the floods at Jhirk was actually called ‘Fath-e-Mubarak’ or Blessed Conquest, explained Sindh historian Mubarak Ali while talking to The Express Tribune about the background of the discovery on Wednesday.

According to him, she was used at the time when Charles Napier conquered Sindh in 1843. She used to transport indigo, textiles and saltpetre - the three main exports from this region - between Karachi and Thatta, where the British set up their first factory.

Fath-e-Mubarak surfaced during the floods in Ayub Khan’s era as well. At that time, the Hyderabad Development Authority’s director Tasneem Siddiqui tried to have it repaired and taken to a museum. The cost of repairs, estimated by the shipbuilding authority, however, was so high that the plan never materialised, said Mubarak Ali. “Even the Sindh museum authorities refused to preserve it,” he added.

But now, perhaps there will be hope for this piece of history. Sindh Culture Minister Sassui Palijo has been on the case. She too admitted that it was never documented during Ayub’s era. “As far as I know, nobody did anything,” she told The Express Tribune.

The good news is that the Pakistan Navy has agreed to help the culture ministry extract the 150-year-old steamboat. The extraction process is, however, difficult at the moment because the water level is around 20 to 25 feet, Palijo said. “[But] the culture department wrote to the irrigation department this week to bring down the water level and we hope to hear from them in a couple of days,” she added. The culture department sent Dr Muhammad Ali Mangi, Dr Naseem Jalbani and Abdul Haq Bhumbro, who are part of the archaeology department, to photograph and inspect the site. The Department of Antiquities has also visited the site.

Palijo admitted that their department has been tied up with the reshuffling of the secretary and other senior officers. The Sindh Assembly session has also kept her busy but she assured that they would get on top of things as soon as they sort out administrative issues. “The new director-general will come on Wednesday (today) and the secretary is also expected to join soon.”

The culture minister said that the authorities have yet to reach a decision on the final destination of the vessel. But, she was sure that they “will not shift it to Karachi”. “The steamboat will stay in Thatta because it surfaced within its jurisdiction,” she said.

“We will try to preserve the vessel in Jhirk as it is an ancient town with a rich history,” she added. Palijo pointed out that there are no museums in the area so they may have to shift the remains to the Benazir Bhutto Cultural Complex in Makli. She added, however, that the final decision would be made in consultation with all stakeholders.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24^th, 2011.