historic indus ship in dilapidated condition

 Indus Queen Ship

The structure of the historic ship Indus Queen on land reminds viewers of the past

About one and a half hundred years ago, a large boat ruled over the Sutlej, a major tributary of the Indus. The boat was owned by Nawab Sadiq V of Bahawalpur state and was named 'Sutlej Queen'. The ark was built in 1867.

The boat Sutlej Queen was in the personal use of Nawab Bahawalpur and when British officers came to the area with their wives or other guests of Nawab Bahawalpur, it helped them to cross the river.

This boat had three parts. Downstairs were the engine, generator and staff rooms. The middle part was for seating passengers, one part was reserved for women and one for men. There was also a restaurant that served food to 400 passengers at a time.

Mujahid Jatoi, a resident of Khanpur Katora, who was traveling on this big boat, said that this ship was a luxury ship of its time, with high quality wood attached to it.

After the formation of Pakistan in 1960, the Indus Basin Treaty was signed between Pakistan and India under which the three rivers Sutlej, Beas and Ravi were ceded to India. The Sutlej River was then deserted and the boat was moved to the Indus River, where it was named Indus Queen.

And in 1996, it suddenly caught fire and the Highways Department was unable to walk due to the inattention of the Punjab government and since then it has been lying in the fields far from the banks of the Indus River.

This boat was gifted by Nawab Bahawalpur to the shrine of Khawaja Ghulam Farid where it sailed in full splendor between Chachran and Kot Mithan in the Indus River. Most of the devotees and other travelers of Khwaja Ghulam Farid used to travel here. On the occasion of Khwaja Ghulam Farid's wedding, a large number of pilgrims used to travel to Kot Mithan.

Indus Queen Generator 

This boat had three parts. Downstairs were the engine, generator and staff rooms. The middle part was for seating passengers, one part was reserved for women and one for men. It also had a small mosque and a restaurant that served food to 400 passengers at a time.

Indus Queen Driver 

The ship's captain, Allah Dutta, told the RahimYarKhan.net team that local Allah Dutta had been working as a driver on the Indus Queen for 30 years.  He said that he used to sail this ship for a salary of Rs. 41. He used to take passengers from Kot Mithan to Chachran Sharif.

Expressing concern over the dilapidated condition of the navy presented to Hazrat Khawaja Ghulam Farid by the Nawab of Bahawalpur, Deputy Commissioner Khurram Shehzad Rahim Yar Khan said that this navy is our historical heritage.  

It will not be abandoned and the district administration will soon restore it to its original condition so that tourists can be made aware of its historical status.e said that steps would be taken to rehabilitate the navy soon.