Pakistan gemstone policy approved by ECC targets formalization, value addition, and export growth across mineral-rich regions
Pakistan may be one of the world’s most mineral-rich countries. Yet most people have never heard it described that way. The Economic Coordination Committee moved to change that on Tuesday. It approved the National Policy to Realize Pakistan’s Gemstone Potential 2026–2030. The Pakistan gemstone policy targets billions in unexplored minerals. Moreover, it focuses on three regions with the greatest untapped potential — Gilgit-Baltistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
For years, Pakistan’s gemstone sector has operated largely in the informal economy. Miners extract and sell raw stones with little processing or certification. Enormous value, therefore, gets left on the table every single year. The new policy’s emphasis on value addition directly addresses that problem. Cutting, polishing, and certifying gemstones domestically could multiply export earnings significantly. Furthermore, formalizing the sector would bring it into the tax net and attract serious long-term investment.
The regional focus also matters beyond minerals alone. Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remain among Pakistan’s least economically developed regions. A structured gemstone industry could, therefore, generate meaningful jobs and income in communities that have seen little benefit from local resources. Moreover, that kind of ground-level economic activity is exactly what these areas need.
The ECC session also approved a major restructuring of the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation. The government granted in-principle approval for the sale of a 30 percent government shareholding in PNSC. Additionally, management control will transfer to the National Logistics Corporation. Both moves reflect a broader push to attract private investment and unlock underperforming sectors.
Pakistan has the resources. It now also has a policy framework to match. Finally, real success depends entirely on how seriously the government drives implementation on the ground.
