Pakistan eyes global best practices for gemstone sector reform

October 31, 2025 (MLN):  The upcoming National Gemstones Policy is set to boost Pakistan’s gemstone sector through formalization, policy reforms, and international collaboration.

This was discussed in a meeting between Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan and leading gemstones exporter Barneby Plowright, said a press release issued.

Both sides explored strategies to strengthen the gemstone industry and enhance its global competitiveness.

The SAPM also visited Plowright’s gemstone facility in Islamabad, where he was briefed on the processes of diamond polishing, grading, and packaging.

Haroon Akhtar Khan stated that, under the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the National Gemstones Policy was being developed to facilitate exporters and manufacturers.

He emphasized that exporters would be given industry status, a move expected to help document and regulate a largely informal sector currently estimated at around $2 billion in undocumented trade.

He added that the new policy aims to bring the gemstone trade into the formal economy, enabling Pakistan to earn billions in revenue. “The policy will be developed within one month, taking into account international best practices and successful global models,” he noted.

Highlighting the country’s mineral wealth, the SAPM said Pakistan is blessed with some of the world’s finest quality gemstones, and lauded Barneby Plowright and his team for their technical expertise and contributions to gemstone processing in Pakistan.

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