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RAPAPORT... Pakistan's Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said the government would work towards establishing the nation as an internationally competitive, world-class hub for diamond and gemstone cutting and polishing, and for jewelry manufacturing. Pakistan borders India's northwest. The minister is working on a development strategy for the country's jewelry sector and concluded that Pakistan holds great potential due to the availabilty of natural resources and skilled craftsmen. Pakistan is rich with a variety of gemstones and deposits have been largely untapped by explorers. The country established the Pakistan Gems and Jewellery Development Centre after a two-year working group delegation studied best practices used in other major trading centers. The group's project leader, Ambarine Bukharey, and a delegation visited the United States in 2005 in time for the JCK Las Vegas Show and to meet with New York industry leaders in July that year. The development center's main focus for now is to increase gemstone and jewelry exports. Some of the issues Pakistan's Ministry of Industries and Production would work out in coming months include conducting market and industry surveys in order develop a Pakistan brand and roadmap for international recognition. The ministry will also be conducting geological surveys on gemstone deposits to identify potential mining locations. At present, Pakistan exports about $25 million of gemstones and jewelry, but the government targets growth to $500 million in exports by year 2010. The government plans to establish gemstone testing and certification centers in the cities of Gilgit, Quetta, Peshawar and Karachi.
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