PM Shehbaz takes notice of delays in gemstone sector projects, seeks action plan within a week

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has voiced displeasure, according to Profit by Pakistan Today, over slow progress on the gemstone pilot project and sector delays. Chairing a review in Islamabad on lifting gemstone and jewellery exports, he asked officials to present a plan with fixed deadlines. A detailed action plan covering Centres of Excellence is due next week.

He stressed the sector is a priority and that delays will not be tolerated, while urging a full chain from mining to cutting and polishing. Non-standard mining and smuggling, he noted, cost the country losses worth billions of dollars each year. Brand Pakistan for gems and jewellery is also being developed, following regional examples, and hurdles to pilot projects and model mines should be cleared.

Officials said a 4.8 kanal plot in Hussainabad, Skardu, is ready for the Centre of Excellence, with funds in place and work starting soon. Sites for comparable schemes are also picked in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad, while an interim facility will run until the Islamabad centre opens. Mapping of gemstone zones is complete, pinpointing eight fresh blocks across Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for exploration. Rs1 billion has been earmarked for the sector this year, and Export Facilitation Desks have opened at 80 branches of 10 lenders in seven urban centres.