Crafts of Sindh originate from one of the earliest pre-historic sties of human civilization, Mohen jo daro since 5th millennium B.C., since that period its craftsmen have been of significant importance to the evolution and spread of traditional crafts. It has also remained the focal point of travel, trade and transmigration. Its craft tradition has been sung in hymns and mystic renderings and its artisan eulogised in its folk lore.
While indigenous crafts and the artisan has survived over these years, modern technology and a surging market has arrested the tradition and it is fast declining, some of them are now extinct and many will soon be classified as dying crafts due to this transformation skilled craftsmen have shifted their trade. All these factors have been recognized internationally as contributing to the negative growth of tradition linked to the land and its people. As a large percentage of Pakistan's population lives in the rural areas where indigenous crafts have remained a major source of income that have not been able to keep pace with the development in the urban areas, the poverty level has declined and is much below the accepted norms. To address these issues a policy that focuses on the preservation and promotion of tradition crafts, its regeneration and the nurturing of an environment that links these crafts with poverty alteration needs to be initiated.
In many developed countries traditional crafts despite non supportive environment have been able to create a niche for survival, revival, design promotion, development and marketing of crafts and supporting employment generation at grass root level. This has been achieved by setting up bodies with public participation to over see a comprehensive plan of action through innovative institutions setting into motion strategies which address and treat poverty eradication by developing infrastructure and primary assets.
In Sindh, the development of an infrastructure has suffered and the marketing base has eroded, efforts to alleviate poverty or to develop alternative resource of economic activity has also not yielded the required results.
Having initiated different sensibilities and interacted with eminent professionals in the field, the Planning and Development Department in the Government of Sindh initiated programmes with Public Private participation for confidence building and community welfare projects. Public participation was invited through media soliciting involvement to initiate sustained pattern of development where elements combine in a complimentary way to revive an environment for poverty alleviation, employment generation, economic growth and conservation of indigenous crafts.
