All Pakistan Commercial Exporters Association (APSEA) is again going to take control of the Gems and Gemmological Institute of Pakistan (GGIP) from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government by the end of 2023. “APSEA is enthusiastic about making the institute more productive and modernised,” said the association’s patron-in-chief Mamoor Khan. Talking to WealthPK, he said that after taking back the operational responsibilities of GGIP, APSEA intended to meet the institute’s liabilities and fix operational flaws on its own. However, he said the government should continue to release funding to keep GGIP operational for five years. “After five years, APSEA will be able to operate through its own sources.” Mamoor said Pakistan direly needed to train people to work for value addition of gems. “It was also important to make the non-skilled, less or totally uneducated people skilful to develop the gems and gemmology sector to generate sustainable incomes for people.”

GGIP was established in 2001 thanks to the joint efforts of APSEA and Export Promotion Bureau, which has since been converted into Trade Development Association of Pakistan. Initially, the provincial government provided funding of Rs40.9 million to APSEA to ensure the institute’s smooth operations. However, Mamoor said the money was not enough to meet all the requirements, especially the costly equipment like machines, which had to be imported for the cutting, polishing or faceting of gems. He added that the management of APSEA, with the help of local experts, produced replicas of such machines. “More than 10,000 people have so far got training to operate these machines, and are earning a decent living.” He said all the senior members of APSEA coordinated to manage the institute voluntarily. He said the association didn’t seek a single penny from the government to manage GGIP.

However, he said after four years of the establishment of the institute, the government took control of GGIP from APSEA. Mamoor Khan said due to some issues with managing the institute, the government was now interested in returning its charge back to APSEA. “Discussions between the government and APSEA are ongoing. There is no clash as to who should run it. We just want to make it beneficial for our people.” He called for lapidary training, especially for the uneducated people of KP and Balochistan, to help them earn a decent living.

Mamoor expressed his commitment to making GGIP more efficient and also setting up more such institutes elsewhere. He also said women would also be trained to help them earn a sustainable livelihood. “Establishment of more institutes is important for increasing the number of skilled persons and strengthening the value addition of gems and gemmology. This will not only help generate work opportunities, but also increase export of gemstones.”

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)