Editor’s Note
This article highlights the significant untapped potential of Pakistan’s gemstone sector, as outlined by APSEA Chairman Minhajuddin Shah. It underscores the critical need to address marketing, infrastructure, and skills challenges to transform this potential into a major economic asset.
Despite having great potential in gemstones, Pakistan has been unable to tap the riches due to poor marketing, improper business facilities, and an unskilled workforce.
said Minhajuddin Shah, Chairman of the All Pakistan Commercial Exporters Association (APSEA), while talking to WealthPK. He said APSEA planned to develop a gems city on the same lines as the modern gemstone market in Talad Ploy, which is called the City of Gemstones, located close to the traditional gems market of Chanthaburi in Thailand.
Minhajuddin said Pakistan was bestowed with precious stones like emeralds, ruby, sapphire and topaz.
He said the gemstone city proposed to be established in Peshawar would be a great market equipped with all salient features.
He said a gems city should also be established in Islamabad to help increase the exports of gemstones and other minerals.
Sharing the APSEA’s vision, Minhajuddin said the gems city in Peshawar would have every facility, including training centres for quality lapidary, synthetic production and mining techniques. He said APSEA also planned to provide short training courses and university-level formal education to students concerning gems and gemmology, minerals, geology and other related fields.
Minhajuddin said the gems city would also have special clearance and customs dealing booths, cargo handling, bank, money exchange, and transportation facilities.
The APSEA chairman sought the government’s help in setting up the gems city. He said the development of such a market will go a long way in creating job opportunities, value chains, and another industrial sector.