Pakistan's amateur radios are tuned in for the apocalypse

When the earthquake struck in 2005, two men in Islamabad loaded their bags and headed for Azad Kashmir. They made it as far as Kohala bridge where the road got cut off. From there on, they made it by foot and hitchhiked on motorcycles and the back of pick-up trucks to Muzaffarabad.

One of the few offices still functioning there was Rescue 15 whose building had half collapsed. The men asked the surprised police officials inside if they had a car battery. The officials led them to a crushed Suzuki Mehran.

The men got to work. A radio transceiver was plugged into the battery and they started transmitting messages to Islamabad since telephone landlines had collapsed. In the next few days they sent nearly 3,000 messages to Islamabad by radio, which their affiliates spread throughout Pakistan by phone. Most messages were confirmations of survivals and deaths.

These men belonged to the voluntary Pakistan Amateur Radio Society (PARS) which has been around since 1970. It is made up of licensed professionals who operate amateur or ham radio, which keep people connected when all else fails.

Decades later, the society is still going strong, and since its fledgling foray into Kashmir has increasingly taken up the cause of rescue and relief work when humanitarian disaster strikes in Pakistan.

Ham radios come to Pakistan

Ham radios emerged at the end of the 19th century with licensing starting from the US around 1912. One theory suggests that it was the initials of a group of early adopters—Hyman, Almy, and Murray at Harvard University’s radio club—that shortened first into HYALMU and then the name HAM. A more popular theory is that in the early days professionals looked down at the amateurs as ‘hams,’ as in ham-fisted or unskilled. Despite the pejorative etymology, the name stuck and is used proudly today.

Amateur radio operators have operated here since before Partition. The oldest membership card was issued in November 1947 and a Pakistan Amateur Radio Society one from 1950 carries the call sign AP5B. Records show that one was active in Karachi in 1949 and from Quetta’s Chiltan Hotel in 1953.

Though these records appear in 1950, former PARS President Nasir Khan (call sign AP2NK) said in a 2019 interview that the society was formed in 1970. (This discrepancy could be explained by a change in registration rules after which the society began anew). According to Nasir Khan, many of the initial members, including him, were associated with the telecommunications industry which is why their professional interests led them to ham radio, and ultimately to create the society. When Nasir Khan passed away in 2025, PARS announced that AP2NK was now a ‘silent key’.

Ham radio work is driven by enthusiasm and charitable spirit but it is still governed by regulations which say a licensed operator has to be a member of PARS to legally function. Licenses were first issued by the Post and Telegraph department, followed by the Telephone and Telegraph department, and since 1996, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) which now has a dedicated Radio-Based Services section. PTA records thus date back to 1962-63 even though files and folders have moved around between departments.

Radio operators in Pakistan must be at least 16 years old. They join PARS as a ‘short-wave listener’ (SWL) for at least one year (like a driving learner’s license) before earning a full license (two years if you are under 18). SWLs can listen but not speak on the radio and use this time to learn mannerisms and techniques.

Applications require details of equipment and operators are subjected to security verification which takes three months or more. A written test and interview follow at the PTA. Each newly licensed operator is then assigned a unique call sign, which in Pakistan begin with AP2 (or 5 for organisations) followed by the person’s initials.

Radio communication takes place with phonetic codes, so AP2 will become “Alpha Papa 2”, and universally recognised Q codes, such as QTH relating to location and QSL relating to receipt of transmission. Codes such as “5 and 9”, meaning readability and signal strength respectively are at their highest, are also used.

PARS helps applicants prepare and for several years, tests were conducted in coordination with the PTA. The license fee is Rs2,000 and has to be renewed every five years. Members pay the Society Rs2,000 a year, students Rs1,500 for three years and SWLs Rs4,000 for a three-year term. People over 65 years are granted lifetime licenses.........

© Dawn Prism