Islamabad: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has tasked the Ministry of Planning to prepare a comprehensive action plan to boost exports of precious stones following their processing. Chairing a meeting in Islamabad today, he expressed the resolve to align precious stone mining and processing in Pakistan with international standards and increase their exports.

According to Radio Pakistan, the Prime Minister highlighted that Pakistan is blessed with a wealth of natural resources, including precious stones, and emphasized that this sector can significantly enhance exports using local resources. The meeting was informed about the government’s initiative to establish three Centers of Excellence dedicated to cutting, shaping, and preparing precious stones for use in jewelry.

It was further informed that land has already been identified for these centers in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, while the selection process for a center in Islamabad is currently underway. These Centers of Excellence aim to provide training that aligns with international standards for processing precious stones.

Additionally, the meeting revealed that Pakistan’s first international exhibition on precious stones is scheduled for July this year. In collaboration with Sri Lanka and China, efforts are also being made to train the workforce for specialized precious stone processing.