Islamabad:Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called for the establishment of a comprehensive value-addition ecosystem for the mining, cutting, and polishing of precious stones. During a meeting in Islamabad focused on the development and export enhancement of Pakistan's precious stones and gems sector, the Prime Minister expressed dissatisfaction with the delays and lack of progress in this area.

According to Radio Pakistan, the Prime Minister urged the relevant authorities to create and present a time-bound action plan as a priority. He emphasized that initiatives to develop the precious stones and gems sector are essential and warned against any further delays or sluggishness.

Shehbaz Sharif highlighted that Pakistan, blessed with abundant natural resources, incurs significant annual losses due to substandard mining practices and smuggling. He instructed the development of the "Brand Pakistan" initiative for precious stones and gems, similar to those in other regional countries, to enhance exports by utilizing the country's vast mineral reserves.

The Prime Minister underscored the importance of creating a roadmap for swiftly establishing centers of excellence to promote value addition. He insisted on removing any obstacles that hinder pilot projects and the development of model mines to ensure their timely completion.

During the meeting, a detailed briefing was given on the progress of the pilot project for exploring, cutting, and polishing precious stones for export. It was noted that 4.8 kanals of land had been allocated for a Centre of Excellence in Hussainabad, Skardu, with construction expected to begin soon. Land has also been identified for similar projects in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Islamabad.

The meeting was informed that geological mapping of areas rich in precious stones had been completed, identifying eight new blocks in Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for further exploration. A one billion rupee allocation has been made under the Public Sector Development Programme to support sector development.

To assist exporters, export facilitation desks have been established at 80 branches of 10 banks across seven cities. The Prime Minister directed the preparation of a comprehensive action plan for establishing centers of excellence and implementing sector development measures, to be presented next week.