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Pakistani gemstone traders urge government to adopt modern technology, remove restrictions to enhance exports 

A gemstone worker handles a gemstone on May 29, 2024, in his workshop in Islamabad. (AN Photo)
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Updated 06 June 2024
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Pakistani gemstone traders urge government to adopt modern technology, remove restrictions to enhance exports 

  • Export of gems declined by 82 percent and 10 percent in terms of quantity and value this year, official data shows 
  • Conventional blasting methods damage gemstones, cause them to lose value, says leading exporter
Updated 06 June 2024
KHURSHID AHMED   

KARACHI: Pakistani exporters and traders of gemstones and jewelry items on Thursday urged the government to adopt modern technological methods and remove restrictions to enhance exports from the South Asian country. 

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif last month urged authorities to upgrade the country’s gems and precious stones sector to industry status. According to a report by Pakistan’s Ministry of Commerce, the country’s exports of pearls and precious stones to China saw a 47 percent increase in 2023, showcasing the rising demand for Pakistani precious stones in China. Pakistan has huge reserves of emerald, ruby, sapphire, topaz, aquamarine and tourmaline gemstones.

Syed MinHajjuddin Shah, chairman of the All-Pakistan Commercial Exporters Association of Rough & Unpolished Precious and Semi Precious Stones, told Arab News that other countries were taking advantage in the exports of gemstones by adopting modern technological methods where Pakistan was losing out. 

“China is big market for Pakistani gems but other countries, including Sri Lanka, are taking benefit,” Shah said. “Due to lack of modern mining technology our products get wasted during mining process.”

The total import and export value of China’s jewelry industry reached a record high of $145.334 billion in 2023, an increase of 8.62 percent on a year-on-year basis. Pakistan’s exports of gems and precious stones to China saw a 47 percent increase in 2023, indicating growing recognition of the quality of Pakistani gemstones among Chinese buyers, as per a Chinese media report. 

Since 2023, the demand for colored gemstones in China has been steadily expanding, supplementing the traditional asset of gold. According to market research by the China Gems and Jade Association (Beijing) Fund Management Company, the average price increase for colored gemstones across all categories in China during the first half of 2023 ranged between 30 percent and 50 percent. Prices for larger or relatively rare gems surged by as much as 100 percent to 150 percent. 

Shah said conventional blasting methods used in Pakistan to extract precious stones result in fracturing and cracking that reduce the quality and value of the gemstones. This, in turn, makes them less desirable for use in jewelry and other applications. 

“Adoption of modern technology for mining can save a huge quantity of gemstones which will ultimately lead to value addition and higher foreign exchange earnings,” he said, Pakistan can also increase its exports to Gulf countries. 

Adnan Qadri, the convener of a standing committee on gems and jewelry producers, manufacturers and exporters of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) told Arab News that last year, Pakistan’s gems exports experienced significant challenges and fluctuations. 

He said this was due to Pakistan’s move to impose restrictions on the export of gems and jewelry to comply with the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) conditions aimed at curbing money laundering and terror financing.

“This led to a dramatic drop in exports, from $30 million to less than $10 million,” Qadri explained. He said the FPCCI has proposed measures to the government on how it can boost exports of gemstones from the country. 

According to official data, the export of gems declined by 82 percent and 10 percent in terms of quantity and value during the current fiscal year. Pakistan exported 966 kilograms of gems worth $5.6 million during July-April period of the current fiscal year as compared to 5,436 kilograms worth $6.3 million exported during the same period last year.

The FPCCI, the apex representative body of Pakistani traders and industrials, has pointed out that restrictions on exporting precious gems and gold jewelry through courier services in Pakistan has led exporters to resort to misdeclare precious items as artificial jewelry, resulting in suppressed exports in the sector. 

“Pakistan’s export policy hinders the growth potential of the gems and jewelry industry, which constitutes only a minimal fraction of the country’s total exports (0.04-0.05 percent of total exports),” the FPCCI noted in a budget proposal for upcoming budget for fiscal year, FY25.

Muhammad Zubair Motiwala, chief executive of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan(TDAP) could not be reached for his comments on the export strategy. 

Topics: Gemstone

Pakistan rescues nine crew members from Indian cargo vessel after distress alert

Updated 27 December 2024
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Pakistan rescues nine crew members from Indian cargo vessel after distress alert

  • The rescue followed another operation this month in which 12 Indian crew members were saved
  • Incident reflects sporadic cooperation between the two nuclear rivals amid continuing tensions
Updated 27 December 2024
NAIMAT KHAN

KARACHI: The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) successfully rescued nine crew members from an Indian cargo vessel, according to an official statement, after receiving a distress alert from Mumbai.
The incident marks the second such rescue operation by the PMSA within a month, highlighting sporadic cooperation between the two nuclear-armed rivals amid continued tensions.
Diplomatic ties between India and Pakistan remain strained. Both sides also detain each other’s fishermen who inadvertently cross maritime boundaries, often leaving them to languish in prison for extended periods.
The distressed Indian vessel, Tajdare Haram, reportedly experienced water ingress approximately 120 nautical miles south of Karachi, forcing the crew to abandon ship and take refuge in a life raft.
“Upon receiving the distress alert from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC) Mumbai, PMSA immediately launched a coordinated rescue effort,” the Pakistani agency announced in a statement Thursday.
“PMSA deployed an aircraft and directed nearby merchant vessels and PMSA ships to the scene of the incident,” it added. “The PMSA aircraft successfully located the survivors and facilitated the Indian Coast Guard vessel operating in nearby Indian waters for subsequent recovery.”
The rescue followed another operation earlier this month when the PMSA saved 12 Indian crew members from MSV Peeran-e-Peer in a similar situation.
The PMSA said it remained steadfast in its commitment to ensuring maritime safety and upholding international obligations under the Safety of Life at Sea Convention.

Topics: Pakistan India

Pakistan PM orders uninterrupted gas supply amid complaints from domestic consumers

Updated 27 December 2024
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Pakistan PM orders uninterrupted gas supply amid complaints from domestic consumers

  • Prime Minister Sharif orders reforms to the gas distribution system to resolve the issue permanently
  • Officials claim improvement in gas load management, say power sector also getting sufficient supply
Updated 27 December 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday called for reforms to the gas distribution system after complaints from domestic consumers about shortages, as he was briefed in a meeting that surplus regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) was available in the system.
Pakistan has long struggled with gas shortages, particularly during the winter months, as declining domestic production and increasing reliance on imports widen the supply-demand gap.
“Uninterrupted gas supply to domestic consumers during the winter must be ensured immediately,” the prime minister directed during the meeting. “Reforms should be introduced in the system’s structure to resolve this issue permanently.”
He maintained that ensuring gas supply to domestic consumers was the government’s top priority.
Officials briefed Sharif that, compared to the previous year, there has been an improvement in gas load management, resulting in reduced load shedding durations, adding that domestic consumers were currently receiving gas from 5 AM to 10 PM.
“The power sector is also being provided gas according to its demand,” the briefing noted. “Additionally, all gas fields in the country remain operational.
The officials also said the Sui Norther Gas Pipelines Limited had resolved 93 percent of consumer complaints, while Sui Souther Gas Company Limited’s resolution rate stood at 79 percent.
Pakistan’s restive southwestern Balochistan province accounts for much of the country’s domestic gas production, though separatist violence in the region often leads to attacks on pipelines, disrupting supply.
Earlier this week, unidentified assailants near Quetta blew up a pipeline, cutting off supply to several areas in Balochistan.
Repairs commenced after the area was secured, but the incident caused significant inconvenience to residents of the province.

Topics: gas supply fluctuations

Nearly 400 Pakistani soldiers killed in counter-terrorism operations in 2024, military says

Updated 27 December 2024
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Nearly 400 Pakistani soldiers killed in counter-terrorism operations in 2024, military says

  • Pakistani security forces conducted 59,775 intelligence-based operations this year, killing 925 militants, army says
  • Pakistan is battling a resurgence of militant violence particularly in its Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces
Updated 27 December 2024
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: Nearly 400 Pakistani soldiers and over 900 militants have been killed in counter-terrorism operations this year, the Pakistan army said on Friday, as the South Asian nation battles a resurgence of militant violence.
Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces have seen a surge in terror attacks in recent months, with groups like the Pakistani Taliban and other militant and separatist groups attacking security forces’ convoys and check posts and carrying out daily targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, military spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said security forces have conducted 59,775 intelligence-based operations this year, during which 925 militants had been killed and hundreds of others arrested. 
“Over the last five years, this is the highest number of terrorists killed in a single year,” Chaudhry said at a media briefing, saying 73 of the militants killed were “high value targets.”
“During these counter-terrorism operations in year 2024, 383 brave officers and jawans embraced martyrdom.”
The Pakistani Taliban group, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), has increased attacks against Pakistani security forces mainly in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan, particularly since November 2022 when a fragile truce between the Pakistani Taliban and the state broke down.
The southwestern Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran and is home to key Chinese Belt and Road Initiative projects, has also seen a surge in strikes by separatist ethnic militants, who say they are fighting an unfair distribution of the remote, impoverished province’s mineral wealth. The Pakistani state denies the allegation and says it is working for the uplift of local communities.
The attacks in KP have soured Pakistan’s ties with Kabul, with Islamabad frequently accusing the Taliban administration of sheltering and supporting militant groups. Afghan officials deny state complicity, insisting Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter.
On Wednesday, the Afghan Taliban said at least 46 people had been killed in Pakistani airstrikes in the eastern border province of Paktika. The Pakistan army and government have not officially confirmed the strikes. 
“Despite all of Pakistan’s efforts and repeatedly pointing out to the Afghan interim government on the state level, Fitna Al-Khwarij [TTP] and other terrorists have been carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan using Afghanistan’s soil,” Chaudhry said.
“Pakistan will leave no stone unturned in dismantling terrorist networks and safeguarding its citizens against terrorism.”

Topics: Pakistan Army ISPR

Markram leads South Africa to 180-5 in 1st Test against Pakistan

Updated 55 min 24 sec ago
AP
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Markram leads South Africa to 180-5 in 1st Test against Pakistan

  • Aiden Markram was batting on an attractive 81 off 123 balls before Pakistan hit back with two wickets in the latter half of the first session
  • Pakistan were dismissed for 211 on Day 1 after Dane Paterson grabbed his second successive five-wicket haul, Corbin Bosch claimed 4-63
Updated 55 min 24 sec ago
AP

CENTURION: Opening batter Aiden Markram closed in on his eighth Test century and led South Africa to 180-5 at lunch on the second day of the first Test against Pakistan on Friday.
South Africa, which needs to win one of the two Test matches against Pakistan to seal a place in the final of the World Test Championship at Lord’s next year, trails the visitors by 31 on a pitch tailor-made for fast bowlers.
Markram was batting on an attractive 81 off 123 balls before Pakistan hit back with two wickets in the latter half of the first session with captain Temba Bavuma (31) and David Bedingham (30) both edging behind the wickets.
Wicketkeeper-batter Kyle Verreynne was yet to score but Markram stood tall in the first session and helped South Africa score 98 runs before lunch for the loss of two wickets.
Resuming on 82-3, Markram completed his half century with an exquisite cover driven boundary off Naseem Shah and stretched the fourth-wicket stand to 70 runs with Bavuma before Pakistan got its first breakthrough.
Aamer Jamal was rewarded for his persistent length balls to Bavuma as the South African skipper finally got a thick outside edge while going for a loose drive.
Bedingham counterattacked from the onset, smashing five boundaries in his 33-ball knock and also survived when Pakistan unsuccessfully went for an lbw television review against Naseem Shah’s full pitched delivery, which television replays suggested would have missed the leg stump.
However, Naseem didn’t have to wait long as Bedingham was beaten by some extra bounce and nicked it in the first slip in the penultimate over before lunch.
Pakistan was dismissed for 211 on Day 1 after Dane Paterson (5-61) grabbed his second successive five-wicket haul and debutant Corbin Bosch claimed 4-63, which included a wicket with his first ball in Test cricket.

Topics: Pakistan vs South Africa Pakistan cricket

Shipping service between Karachi, Jebel Ali ports to start from Jan. 13

Updated 27 December 2024
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Shipping service between Karachi, Jebel Ali ports to start from Jan. 13

  • The development comes amid Pakistan’s efforts to leverage its geopolitical position and enhance trade
  • The service will promote economic growth and prosperity, and further accelerate regional development
Updated 27 December 2024
KASHIF IMRAN

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Logistics Corporation (NLC) and DP World, an Emirati multinational logistics company, are set to begin a shipping service between Karachi and Dubai next month, Pakistani state media reported this week.
Pakistan, which has been facing an economic crisis, wants to leverage its strategic geopolitical position and enhance trade with various countries in the region.
Pakistani policymakers consider the United Arab Emirates (UAE) an optimal export destination due to its geographical proximity, which minimizes transportation and freight costs while facilitating commercial transactions.
The shipping service between Karachi and Dubai’s Jebel Ali port is due to begin on Jan. 13, the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“This shipping service marks a significant milestone in strengthening trade and regional connectivity,” the report read. “It will also promote economic growth and prosperity and will further accelerate the pace of development in the region.”
The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States (US), and a major source of foreign investment, valued at over $10 billion in the last 20 years, according to the UAE foreign ministry. It is also home to more than a million Pakistani expatriates.
In January this year, Pakistan and the UAE signed multiple agreements worth more than $3 billion for cooperation in railways, economic zones and infrastructure, a Pakistani official said, amid Pakistan ‘s caretaker prime minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar’s visit to Davos, Switzerland to attend 54th summit of the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The agreements cover the development of a dedicated freight corridor, multi-modal logistics park, and freight terminals, Syed Mazhar Ali Shah, the Pakistan Railways secretary, said at the time.
Under the agreements, DP World would carry out infrastructure improvement at Qasim International Container Terminal, Pakistan’s leading trade gateway, as part of the project. The Emirati firm also planned to develop an economic zone near the terminal.

Topics: Pakistan UAE ties karachi sea port

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