Govt establishes advisory council to ensure transparency in gem exports

October 07, 2023 (MLN): To ensure transparency in gem and jewelry exports, the Federal Ministry of Industries and Production has established a 15-member advisory council, as revealed in the latest notice issued by the ministry.

Akhtar Khan Tesuri, the elder brother of Sindh Governor has been appointed as the chairman of the advisory council.

Other members of the constitution include three jewelers from Islamabad; Farukh Alvi, Asif Idrees, and Faiyaz Qureshi.

The jewelers elected from Karachi are Habib ur Rahman, Irfan Samana (ARY jewelers), and Farhan Khan.

Moreover, one individual from Quetta, one from Peshawar, and one from Swat has been included in the advisory council.

Most of the jewelers in the advisory council were from Lahore, comprising one-third of the total individuals on the council.

Members from Lahore are Salim Hemani (Aliel jewelers), Asad ur Rahman, Haris Asad Sheikh (Solitaire Designer jewelers), Hasnat Ahmed Haider (Neemar Jewelers), and Zeeshan Hanif (Hanif jewelers).

It is pertinent to note that Haji Haroon Chand, the senior leader of Babai Goldsmith community, was not included in the 15-member council.

The advisory’s main objective is to review the existing policies on the gold trade, standards, certification, and value addition.

It will identify obstacles with regard to ease of doing business and propose necessary steps to be taken.

Furthermore, the council will propose a self-sustainable institutional arrangement for the regulation of the sector, including establishing the Pakistan Gems and Jewelry Development Authority (PGJDA) as already approved by the Cabinet in principle.

The council will prepare an action plan for gem and jewelry exports and give it to the federal government

“The Chairman of Advisory Council shall work in honorary capacity as advisor to Federal Minister for Industries and Production,” the notice further reads.

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