When the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) organised Lifestyle Pakistan exhibition ‘Aalishan Pakistan’ at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, it met with strong reaction from Hindu extremist groups such as Vishwa Hindu Parishad. However, the exhibition went ahead with its scheduled plan and generated $15 million business. Besides, the businessmen of both the countries also signed deals worth $20 to $25 million, indicating a promising economic cooperation between the two sides. The exhibition received thumping responses from Indian consumers and traders. At least 500,000 people thronged the four-day exhibition in which more than 135 exhibitors with 270 stalls had showcased their products. According to the economic experts, India is a big country and Pakistani jewelry has strong chances to penetrate the Indian market.
Now the Pakistan Gems and Jewelers Industry has decided to hold a single country exhibition in the Indian city of Jaipur at the end of this year as the Pakistani jewelry attracted hundreds of thousands of Indian buyers in New Delhi. Jaipur is the hub of advanced gemstone industry and Pakistani jewelers can benefit from the Indians experience. It is said that 30 to 40 percent gem is lost in Pakistan during processing, but the ratio of losses is less than 10 percent in India.
Pakistan is rich in natural resources as massive mountain ranges in Azad Kashmir, Northern Areas and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are packed with precious gemstones such as peridot, aquamarine, topaz, ruby, emerald and many varieties and types of quartz. Despite availability of precious gemstones, Pakistani industry is at a nascent stage. In the absence of any government support, the local population is trying to make fortune on their own with Stone Age technology. It is dilemma of the nation that gemstone are exported in kilos, but then imported the same stones back in the form of finish products by paying millions of dollars foreign exchange. It seems we have refused to learn modern technology. The time has come we should learn from others experiences, even from India, and learn to convert the raw stones into value added products.