In 1964, the then prime minister of China, Chou-en Lai, visited Badami Bagh to see the factory of Batala Engineering Company. What he saw impressed him so much that he wanted to send Chinese Engineers to get trained from the industrial unit. At that point in time, Batala Engineering was producing everything from diesel engines to aircraft parts which were being used locally and were being exported abroad.Â
It employed 6,000 workers including German and Japanese engineers, and was considered a national asset. But those glory days are long gone. Batala faced the wrong end of a nationalisation, and a disastrous effort to bring it under state control followed by a relentless tussle at the top has made the company a shadow of its old self. Within a span of 60 years, the company has virtually shut down. The fall from its peak is nothing short of shocking and spectacular. Recently, a right share issue has been announced in order to raise funds to finance its working capital needs. This is a story of how a company fell from grace and is looking to revive its past as it once was.
From Batala Engineering to Pakistan Engineering
When Batala Engineering Company was being established in 1932, it was supposed to be a symbol of identity and unity for the Muslims of India. Inside the Islamia School of the village, a group of Muslims joined together to work for the betterment of their Muslim brethren who had little to no representation in the country. Chaudhry Mohammad Latif gave credence to the idea that a wholesale business could be started which would be a point of pride for the downtrodden. With the company coming into existence, it started manufacturing chaff cutters in 1934 and thus began the lore which has survived till today.
In a short period of 10 years, the company set up its own foundry and machine shop which enabled them to manufacture their own agricultural implements. In order to meet the capital needs of the company, a partnership was created between Daulat Ram and Latif which enabled it to grow further. The content in this publication is expensive to produce. But unlike other journalistic outfits, business publications have to cover the very organizations that directly give them advertisements. Hence, this large source of revenue, which is the lifeblood of other media houses, is severely compromised on account of Profit’s no-compromise policy when it comes to our reporting. No wonder, Profit has lost multiple ad deals, worth tens of millions of rupees, due to stories that held big businesses to account. Hence, for our work to continue unfettered, it must be supported by discerning readers who know the value of quality business journalism, not just for the economy but for the society as a whole.To read the full article, subscribe and support independent business journalism in Pakistan
