MULTAN, (APP – UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 29th Jul, 2026) In an age of tractors, trucks and motorized loaders, it is easy to assume the camel cart belongs only in history books. Yet across the villages of South Punjab and the vast deserts of Cholistan and Thal, the slow but dependable “ship of the desert” still carries livelihoods on its back, proving some traditions endure simply because they still work.
While highways echo with the roar of engines, narrow sandy tracks, uneven farmland and remote settlements still present a familiar sight: a sturdy camel pulling a wooden cart loaded with fodder, maize, firewood, bricks and freshly harvested produce.
Despite the advance of modern transportation, this enduring scene remains an essential part of daily life in many rural communities of South Punjab.
For some rural families, the camel cart is not a symbol of poverty but a practical, affordable and reliable means of transport that modern machines cannot always replace.
For centuries, camels have been inseparable from life in country’s deserts. Long before roads connected villages, they carried people, food and trade across some of the harshest landscapes on earth.
Their ability to endure extreme heat, walk long distances and bear heavy loads earned them the title “Ship of the Desert.”
According to a SMEDA pre-feasibility study on camel farming, camels can carry 200 to 300 kilograms while traveling up to 40 kilometers a day. Their broad, cushioned feet keep them from sinking into sand, letting them move where wheeled vehicles struggle.
They can go several days without water and tolerate dehydration far better than most animals, making them ideally suited to Cholistan and Thar’s punishing terrain.
Though mechanized transport has reshaped agriculture, camel carts still fill a crucial gap tractors and trucks cannot reach. Sandy paths, muddy post-irrigation fields, narrow village tracks and uneven farmland often leave farmers with only one dependable option of the camel cart.
In Chak 9 Joiyawala near Vehari, Bashir and Mushtaq begin their day before sunrise. Each owns a camel cart and spends long hours ferrying agricultural produce from fields to storage areas and markets.
Speaking to APP, Bashir said they both regularly haul wheat straw, maize and other farm produce and sometimes transport materials to brick kilns and construction sites.
“We are laborers ourselves and we also drive our own camel carts,” he said. “We never learned to operate tractor trolleys or motorized loaders, and we simply cannot afford such expensive vehicles.”
Mushtaq said the work is physically demanding but provides steady income. “There are many places inside fields where tractors and larger vehicles cannot reach,” he explained.
“Farmers call us because our camels can move through those difficult areas easily. Almost every day we find work.”
He added that camel-cart operators carry their own loading tools, allowing them to complete jobs without hiring extra labor. For these families, the camel is more than an animal because it is a business partner, a transport worker, and the foundation of household income.
Iqbal Repal, a farmer from Ahmedpur East, said the tradition remains alive in some villages despite rapid modernization.
“Our area still depends on camel carts in many situations,” he told APP. “A medium-sized camel costs around Rs 300,000, while preparing a sturdy cart requires another Rs 250,000. It is still a worthwhile investment because these carts reach places where vehicles either cannot go or where operating them becomes too costly.”
He said farmers often hire camel carts to move fresh fodder, harvested maize and other crops over short distances within villages and farmland.
According to Dr Jamshaid Akhtar, a senior veterinary officer in Ahmed our East, the camel’s importance extends beyond transport.
In South Punjab and Cholistan, it represents a centuries-old culture woven into desert life. Camel races, traditional fairs, folk songs and colorful decorations continue to celebrate the animal’s place in local history, with decorated camels drawing thousands of visitors at regional gatherings and reminding younger generations of a heritage that once shaped everyday life.
Dr Jamshaid also point to environmental advantages. Unlike fuel-powered vehicles, camel carts consume no diesel, produce no emissions and require minimal maintenance, a quiet, sustainable alternative for short-distance rural transport at a time of rising fuel costs and growing climate concerns.
Still, the trade’s future is uncertain. Younger villagers increasingly seek work in cities, while tractors and small loaders spread further across rural areas, gradually thinning the ranks of those entering the profession.
Yet those who continue the trade insist the camel cart still has a place in rural life. Where engines fail to enter soft sand, flooded tracks or narrow farm paths, the camel calmly continues its journey, just as it has for generations.
In the deserts of Cholistan and Thal and the villages of South Punjab, the camel cart remains more than just a means of transport. It is a living symbol of a way of life that has endured for generations, reminding us that progress does not always erase tradition.
In many communities, the oldest solutions continue to serve people more effectively than the newest machines, proving that simplicity, resilience and tradition still have an important place in the modern
world.
APP/atf
