Pakistan, April 28 -- The government has announced plans to establish specialised gemstone exports hubs aimed at increasing the value of Pakistan's natural resources and boosting international trade, officials said.

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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level meeting in Islamabad to review progress and align the country's gemstone mining and processing sector with global standards. He emphasised that Pakistan possesses significant reserves of precious and semi-precious stones, which can contribute substantially to export growth if properly processed and marketed.

Officials informed the meeting that three centres of excellence are being set up to provide ...