Taliban Cash in on Pakistan’s Untapped Gem Wealth

In the narrow lanes of a market in Pakistan’s northwest capital Peshawar, dealers squat on carpets and spread out a rainbow of precious gems on the floor for potential buyers.

Chunks of bright blue lapis lazuli, and rough rocks studded with flashes of light and colour clutter window displays, but no one is buying in a city hit by a wave of deadly bombings blamed on Taliban militia.

A treasure trove of precious stones is locked in the rocks of Pakistan’s rugged northwest. Violence, legal tussles and state mismanagement have deterred investors but allowed the Taliban to cash in on the bounty, dealers say.

“God has given us enormous wealth in terms of emeralds from Swat, rubies, pink topaz, beautiful tourmaline,” said Ilyas Ali Shah, a gemologist with the government-run Pakistan Gems and Jewellery Development Company.

Shah said that if Pakistan properly mines these deposits the impoverished country could reverse its hefty foreign debt: “But we need peace.”

This is not a new issue but it is true that the northern areas of Pakistan have the most expensive treasure of the world. Many doucmentries have told this hidden story so many time, and most of the time it was happened that research teams has been drilling either for coal or oil and their would be mines of emerald or topaz had been discovered from their but the sad side is this that no development or research work has been made by any Government of Pakistan to avail the benefit from this precious God gifted source.

Anyways lets come back towards the topic Taliban has this source as a secondary level they do not depend on it. The main or primary source of Taliban is only those neighboring countries of Pakistan who want to destablise the country and the name of these countries has told by the Qari Zainuddin and other anti Taliban persons supporting the Pakistani Government and Securtiy Forces. We have to view the picture in the light of actual scenario if Taliban are trading the gems then why they want to bring their on laws, the traders of gems are the persons or tribal men who live in the northwest or in other words resident of Pakistan and not the Taliban, they are feeded up by those states who don’t want to strengthen Pakistan.

Above review is based on Khaleejtimes news