Dubai: At Deira Fish Market, one of the busiest in the country, there is one thing common that binds most fish vendors, wholesalers, cutters and porters — they belong to one particular region in Pakistan and speak a unique tongue.
What is stranger is the fact that most of those working in the market had never even seen a sea fish before taking up a job here.
Hailing from southern Punjab in Pakistan, members of the Saraiki community from South Punjab have come to dominate most sections of the fish market, particularly fish vending.
So how this community of people, who had nothing to do with the seafood or the sea back home, came to dominate this trade?
Mohammad Gulzar, a member of the community and one of the oldest fish vendors in the market, said it all began in the late 1960s when a few members boarded a ship from Karachi in search of jobs.
“Some of our elders set off from southern Punjab to Karachi, looking for jobs. When they reached there, they heard about a ship sailing to Dubai. It was around 1967-68 and Dubai was still not more than a small town, but it was finding its feet. Some of those who came in, found jobs with local fishermen and stayed on. That’s how it began,” said Gulzar, who has been working in the market for 35 years.
According to Gulzar, 59, who is set to retire after more than three decades in the business that has seen him transform from a humble vendor to a millionaire in Pakistan, tying up with local fishermen during the early days of Dubai’s rise helped the community own the profession.
“It is the case of being at the right place at the right time. Once a few people came and saw the opportunity, they got more people in, that’s how it spread,” said Gulzar.
Unlike most workers in the market, who flew in from their hometowns to work as porters, hawkers or cleaners, Gulzar came to Dubai to work as a cook with an Emirati family and after a year, he got a release from his sponsor to work as a hawker with a local fisherman.
“I got to Dubai with the help of my elder brother, who was already working at the fish market. In those days, the market was located near the old Gold Souq bus stand. When I joined work, I didn’t know anything about fish. In fact, I had never seen any live fish in life,” said Gulzar, who also has three of his sons working in the market.
The market has helped several generations of the community make a living and prosper.
Mohammad Iqbal, 32, represents the third generation workers from his family, who have worked in the Deira Fish Market since the 1970s.
“My brother got me a visa to work as a fish hawker some 15 years back, I was 18 then, but this was the only job I wanted to do from childhood, because this was the only thing that I heard about from a very early age. My uncle came here first and then my elder brother and now my younger brothers are also here,” said Iqbal, who mostly deals in king fish, tuna and groupers, names he had never heard about before coming to Dubai.
Among the old-timers is Ali Hasan, 48, who has been working in the market for almost 30 years.
“Before I came here, a lot of my relatives and fellow villagers were working in the market and it was an obvious choice for me. I didn’t know much about the job and fish but with help from friends and community members, I learnt quickly. This job has helped us give a decent life to our loved ones back home and I hope the tradition will continue for a long time,” said Hasan.
Hasan’s close friend Gul Mohammad has also been in the market since mid-1980s.
“When I came here I was a teenager and now I have four children and a happy family. Like most of my friends and relatives, I have not known any other job. It’s not an easy job but we are happy to be born into this profession,” said Mohammad.
There are more than 20 million Saraiki speakers in Pakistan, mostly living in the region around the historic city of Multan. Some of the towns that supply Dubai’s fish vendors include Bahawalpur, Lodran and Muzaffargarh apart from neighbouring villages.
Fish market to move to Hamriya
The Deira Fish Market, one of the last remaining relics of old Dubai, will close down by the end of this month, with a new market opening for business.
In operation since mid-1980s, the market is one of the busiest in the country and a favourite location for seafood lovers to buy fresh fish.
Apart from the seafood section, the market also has fresh meat section, fruits and vegetables as well as a chilled meat section.
The new market is on Al Khaleej Street opposite Dubai Hospital in Al Hamriya and is set to open for business from March 1.
