PESHAWAR: The government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided to develop gemstone sector as formal export sector and for this purpose the gemstone cluster at Namak Mandi would be develop in the shape of Gems Processing & Export Centre.
The Gem Export Center will be redesigned and shifted to a spacious and suitable building equipped with all international standards.
In this regard, a high-level meeting was held on Thursday in the committee room of the Industries Department here at Civil Secretariat, Peshawar with Special Assistant to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Commerce and Technical Education Abdul Karim Tordher in the chair.
Besides, Secretary Industries, Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah and Special Secretary Muhammad Anwar Khan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zones Development and Management Company (KP-EZDMC) Javed Iqbal Khattak, Executive Director of Federal Export Development Fund (EDF) Samiullah Khan and Director Zafar, PDA and Local Government Officers, representatives of Sarhad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCI) Gemstones Association and officers of other relevant departments also attended the meeting.
In the meeting, several policy level decisions were taken for the development of the gemstones sector, under which a Gems Processing and Export Centre equipped with advanced facilities for Gemstones will be established in Peshawar.
 The facilities of Certification Lab, International Mail Office (IMO), Bank and Customs Office will also be available, while efforts will be doing for easing the provision of NOC for the arrival of investors from abroad .Likewise, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran Desk will also be set up at this Gems Centre, which will be completed and formally inaugurated in next four months.
It was decided in the meeting that with the Federal Export Development Fund, the annual Gems Show will also be organized in the province, while the representative of EDF assured in the meeting that the availability of facilities in the proposed centre will be provided through the fund.Â
 Speaking on this occasion, the Special Assistant to the Chief Minister said that the establishment of a modern Gems Centre in the province will prove a milestone for the economic development of the country and the province. This will also increase exports beside providing employment opportunities to thousands of people related to this sector and bring substantial increase in revenue.
  He said that Peshawar is very important for the business of precious stones in this region and the establishment of this new centre will further develop this sector which will further the economic development of our province.
