Pakistan's geological goldmine
In the ancient streets of Namak Mandi, Peshawar, where time seems to slow with the rhythm of artisans at work, 62-year-old Riaz Ahmad's workshop hums with life.
As autumn is about to set in Peshawar, the air is thick with the scent of ambition and the sound of polishing machines, as gemstones in raw, rugged, and radiant shapes are cut into pieces of shimmering beauty.
Riaz, a second-generation gemstone trader, stands surrounded by a kaleidoscope of colours is emeralds from Swat, rubies from Chitral, peridot from Kohistan, and topaz from Mardan each with its own story, each ready to find a home in a necklace, ring, or crown, somewhere across the globe.
As he oversees the delicate process of cutting and polishing, Riaz encourages his young team, all of whom share the dream of prosperity carved from stone.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Kashmir, and parts of Balochistan are a geological goldmine, home to some of the world's most exquisite and rare gemstones.
Rubies, emeralds, sapphires, aquamarine, and topaz lie hidden beneath its rugged terrain, quietly waiting to be discovered, polished, and placed on the world stage.
"Emeralds alone can fetch up to Rs15,000 per carat," says Riaz, "while a well-crafted ruby can bring in profits of over Rs100,000 from a Rs600,000 investment."
His own family business, started by his father in the early 1980s, now stands as a beacon of what's possible but also a reminder of how much remains unrealized.
The gemstones traders said that over 300,000 people are directly or indirectly supported by the gemstone trade in K-P, a sector rooted in the bustling Namak Mandi market, active since the 1970s.
Yet despite the promise, much of KP's gemstone potential remains buried not beneath rock, but beneath systemic neglect, looking CM KP patronage.
While KP's stones glitter with opportunity, the tools to harness their true value remain blunt. "Traditional mining methods not only waste up to 70% of the gemstone material," Faraz explains, "but also put the lives of miners at risk."Mamoor Khan, Patron-in-Chief of the All Pakistan Commercial Exporters Association (APCEA), expressed this concern and said "Pakistan can export millions of carats of rubies, emeralds, and peridots.
But our exports in 2021-22 barely reached $4 million from APCEA members. Imagine the potential if we modernized!
"Lack of access to modern mining technology, professional training, and gem certification laboratories in K-P has left the sector stagnating.
Without formal grading and certification, local gemstones are sold at a fraction of their international value often smuggled out, uncut and unpolished.
In the last two years, over 4,500 students from K-P and the merged districts (erstwhile FATA) have been trained in gemstone mining, cutting, and polishing by master trainers under the Gems and Gemological Institute Peshawar (GGIP).
Sabaz Ali, Director at the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP), shares promising developments