By: Akhunzada Fazal Haq
MARDAN , Once known as “Mini Gujranwala” for its bustling small-scale industry, Mardan’s Gujar Garhi Bazaar now paints a grim picture of decline and despair. The market that once echoed with the clatter of iron and the roar of machines today stands eerily silent. For the thousands of families who once relied on its workshops, the silence has been deafening – and devastating.
Not long ago, Gujar Garhi was the industrial heartbeat of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Workshops churned out agricultural tools, threshers, water heaters, tractor trolleys, and household machinery that were supplied not only to Mardan but also to Peshawar, Charsadda, Swabi, and neighboring districts. The steady rhythm of hammers and machines filled its streets, while proud locals proclaimed, “This is our Mini Gujranwala.”
But those days are gone. Today, nearly 150 workshops have shut down, leaving some 1,500 workers unemployed. The few workshops that remain struggle desperately to survive, often relying on family members rather than paid labor.
“We used to employ 25 workers in my factory,” recalls Haji Farman, a long-time factory owner. “Now, all of them are gone. We sometimes collect donations among ourselves just to pay electricity bills. Every day the government imposes new taxes, and it feels like they are snatching food straight from our children’s mouths.” He points out that no government tender has been issued since 2020 – shutting local manufacturers out of a vital source of income.
The stories of workers are even more heartbreaking. Nasruddin, once a thriving toolmaker, now struggles to feed his five children. “My shovel-making workshop closed because of inflation. I was an employer once. Today, I am a daily wage laborer, living in a rented house and searching for work.”
For daily wage workers like Mujib, the struggle is relentless. “Even when we do get orders, the electricity load-shedding delays everything. Sometimes a project takes months to complete, and both owners and workers suffer losses.” Another laborer shows a half-built machine rusting in the corner of his workshop: “The customer paid an advance, but three months later, it’s still not finished because there’s no electricity. Now it’s just scrap.”
The decline of Gujar Garhi is not just the collapse of an industry – it is the collapse of livelihoods. Each shuttered workshop represents not just lost machines, but lost meals, lost dignity, and lost hope.
Experts believe the industry could still be revived if the government intervenes in time. Relief packages for small industries, tax reductions, uninterrupted power supply, and the resumption of government tenders could breathe life back into Gujar Garhi. Without such measures, however, the market risks disappearing forever – surviving only in the memories of the elders who once witnessed its golden days.
Today, the deserted streets of Gujar Garhi Bazaar stand as a question mark for policymakers: will this “Mini Gujranwala” be remembered as a success story of resilience, or as a cautionary tale of neglect?
One thing is certain: the silent machines and cold stoves of Mardan tell a story that goes beyond industry. They tell of thousands of families whose future now hangs in the balance.
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