THE North Western Frontier Province has a huge treasure of precious and semi-precious stones.

These include emerald, ruby, pink topaz, quartz, tourmaline, beryl, moonstone, chalcedony, zircon, aquamarine, garnet, kunzite and peridot. Peshawar is called a 'gems city' as gem-buyers throng this city in search of precious stones.

According to an estimate, there are 70 million carats of emerald in Swat, 09 million carats of pink topaz in Katlang, Mardan, and 10 million carats of peridot in Hazara and Kohistan. For aquamarine and tourmaline in Chitral and for garnet in Bajor Agency, no official estimate is available.

Gemstone traders say most of these hidden treasures in this 'Treasure Island' still await exploration. They believe that alongside the snow-covered Himalayas, the Hindu Kush and the Karakoram ranges vast untapped reserves of gemstones are buried.

Columbian emeralds are considered the best, but the emeralds of Mingora, Swat, are prettier and costlier. Emeralds are also believed hidden at Gandao of Mohmand Agency and Amankot, Mora Darra, Barang Dawn photo library

in Bajaur agency, Makhad and Charbagh in Swat district and Khaltaro in Gilgit. These deposits, except Charbagh and Makhad, still lie unexplored.

Though some believe Katlang's topaz is equivalent to its Brazilian variety in standard, but many rate it of higher quality. “The Katlang topaz is simply matchless in beauty, weight, hardness and shine. It is as hard as diamond, says Abdul Moeed Khan, a local gem expert. According to him, the Mingora emerald and Katlang topaz can fetch prices up to Rs20,000 per carat.Their prices increase with their weight and beauty. Moeed says that at Katlang topaz of the quality of sapphire has also been found.

The aquamarine of Chitral and Kalam and peridot of Indus, Kohistan and Hazara are amongst the world's prettiest gemstones. The latter is a light yellowish green to dark green stone of the finest variety found only in Pakistan and Myanmar.

According to former speaker of the NWFP Assembly Abdul Akbar Khan, if the sector is fully developed, it can fetch hundreds of billions of rupees for the province, which, instead of exporting labour, can attract manpower outside the province.

“At present, three emerald deposits at Mingora, Shamozai (Swat), Buner, and topaz sites in Katlang have been auctioned for 10 years for Rs54 million, Rs44 million and Rs9.5 million respectively. There are many other unexplored sites as well,” says Akbar. He thinks that the province is getting a peanut share in return of its wealth. “The sector is currently included in the concurrent list. It should be brought under provincial control at the earliest” He laments that emerald deposits at Mingora and Shangla Buner have been practically abandoned due to law and order situation.

Some foreign experts suggest that if only emerald mining in Swat valley is modernised, the country will be able to pay off its foreign debts within two years.

“If the government and the business community work seriously in this sector for the next six years, $10-12 billion can be earned for the country which is 50 per cent of the entire export,” Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) chief executive Syed Muhibullah Shah said at the gems and mineral show in Peshawar.

Experts believe there are huge prospects for investment in this sector in terms of scientific mining and cutting and polishing of gemstones. Computer-aided designing and manufacturing courses for gems and jewellery workers should be organised which will add to their value and also increase investment in the sector, they say.

The sector has a big potential but it is in the shambles and a large quantity of the precious and semi-precious stones is exported raw. Then there is illegal gems trade. As most of the precious stones exist in remote areas, there is an urgent need of infrastructure development.

Indiscriminate blasting and rough cutting spoils the precious mines and stones. Law and order situation, lack of modern cutting and polishing facilities and indifferent attitude of the government is hindering the opening of local training and purchase centres and creating problems for the gems sector. Fazle Mabood, an expert, criticises the nominal leasing money. “A minimum of half a kilo average weight of emerald can be found daily. Now compare this with per carat price and think for yourself how cheaply the deposits are being leased,” says Mabood.

The website of the mining and mineral department, NWFP, which oversees the gems business has neither relevant data nor contact details.

Lack of adequate gem-identification facilities and limited understanding of gemstone often lead to selling of precious stones at cheap rates. Currently there are five gems and gemological institutes in Pakistan (GGIPs) located at Gilgit, Peshawar, Karachi and Quetta. These GGIPs serve as gem identification and certification centres.

Sources within the All Pakistan Commercial Exporters Association say that these laboratories have limited identification capacity and work with outdated tools. More gem-training centres and gem-processing factories are needed at places where gemstones mines are located.

Locals of the areas where these gems are found and the province are not given a fair share in the income of its trade. The mineral policy provides 10 per cent royalty on precious stones. There are no provincial or local taxes on minerals or mining operations. These need to be amended, royalties increased or the resources handed over to the provinces.

Veteran Pukhtoon nationalist leader Azam Khan Hoti had said “If Punjab and Sindh can have control over their wheat, cotton, and rice-crops and gas, why can't Pukhtoonkhwa (NWFP) have it on its forests, mineral and water resources? It is this lack of equity that spoils things.