ISLAMABAD– Chairman Federation Pakistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Qurban Ali has said that Pakistan has an export potential of worth $32 billion annually in latent gemstones industry to earn revenue for strengthening the country’s economy.
Addressing a seminar Qurban Ali said that Pakistan is home of precious and semi precious stones and for utilizing this potential, “We must need to establish the technology and innovation driven industry to attract the foreign investors from European Union (EU) and United States of America (USA).
He said local exporters of gemstones must go for innovation and also add on modern technology to enhance the value of precious and semi-precious stones for the international competitive market to earn more profits.
He was of the view that ‘Gem Testing Labs’ need to be established for gems identification to promote the local industry at international potential market for enhancing the competitiveness in the local market.
The senior business leaders said that FPCCI would on-board the government for the initiative of new gems testing laboratories in major cities of Pakistan to promote the gemstone trade for enhancing the local exports.
Qurban Ali said that mainly these precious stones are explored from almost inaccessible territories of the hilly regions in the south and north as the most extensive ruby deposits in Pakistan are located in the Hunza valley of the Gilgit Baltistan.
He informed that after Burma, Hunza is the only other region in the world that has produced “Blood Red ruby”.
Chairman FPCCI said that some of the finest ‘Emeralds’ in the World are being mined in the picturesque valley of Swat and Aquamarine also explored from the Shigar valley of Baltistan, Chitral, Kaghan and inthe Neelam Valley of Azad Kashmir.
He said that ‘Flurite’ is found in Chitral, Dir, Hunza, andBalochistan with the largest deposits occurring in the Northern partof the Koh-e-Mardan range of Kalat.
He further said that Pakistan is a country of young people and they need employment opportunities and through the gems and stones industry, “we can create a huge opportunity of employment for local youth of GB region including Khyber Paktunkwa and Balochistan.
