PM for steps to grant industrial status to gems, precious stones sector

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the relevant authorities to take the required steps for granting industrial status to the gems and precious stones sector of the country.

The prime minister, chairing a meeting on the gems and precious stones sector, called for necessary legislation and consultation with the provinces and the private sector to uplift the sector besides immediately activating the Gems and Jewellery Development Company.

He said that most of the country’s areas, particularly Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, were rich with immense natural resources which needed to be fully exploited, the official news agency reported.

Prime Minister Shehbaz also called for ensuring the international certification of stone products and their display at international exhibitions.

He also instructed for launching training programmes to promote value addition of the stone products, and carry out the geological mapping of KP, GB and AJK on the availability of precious stones.

The participants of the meeting were told that a strategy was being formulated to promote investment in the fields of gems and rare stones.

Federal ministers Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Jam Kamal Khan and Dr Musaddik Malik, State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmed and relevant senior officers attended the meeting.