The people of Pakistani Kashmir are sitting on a treasure chest: Millions of rubies, estimated to be worth up to half a billion dollars, are lying beneath them. Pakistani Kashmir has just one mine and one exploration site, where miners dig to assess the potential of the jewels below. Muhammad Azeem spends four months a year toiling in the Chitta Katha mine on the slopes of the Himalayas, which requires an eleven hour drive and then two hours walking to reach from Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistani Kashmir. Yet precious stones currently account for less than one percent of Kashmir’s tax revenues. The jewellery industry in Pakistani Kashmir is still in its infancy, and limited by the fact that transportation of rough cut precious stones is prohibited in the region as a measure against smuggling.

Source: Dhaka Tribune October 15, 2017 07:52 UTC