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About Us
Gold & Gems Art Promotion Council of Pakistan (GGAPCP) is a private sector organization consisting of gold & Gems trade professionals and experts. These people converged at a platform to wage joint struggle to pull out this trade and art from the quagmire of backwardness.
It is formed for the sole purpose of enhancing gold & Gems trade and expertise of artisans through domestic resources and international collaboration.
Our achievements:
Some achievements of the parent Association of this Council, Lahore Division Sarafa and Jewellers Association are:
- The national level achievements are that the Lahore Division Sarafa and Jewellers Association solved the issue of General Sales Tax in 1998.
- Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (Smeda) also made its first public appearance at this seminar and announced to work for the promotion of this sector. The Association also helped Smeda in formulating its recommendations for the promotion of gold trade.
- A magazine called 'Jewellery Review is also brought out which is already online at the website. There is also a plan to publish more publications to project the jewellers' point of view.
- The credit of government decision to declare jewellery sector as industry in the Trade Policy-2005 also goes to the Lahore Division Sarafa and Jewellers Association.
- Another plus point of the LDSJA is that it successfully introduced the new gold weighting system of milligram, ending the decades old use of “tola system” and “masha system”. This move helped a lot to the jewellers in understanding the new measurement system.
At the international level, on April 26, 1986, a delegation of Overseas Import Fair, Berlin, headed by Ms Armaga Graft, visited Lahore and held talks with Lahore Division Sarafa & Jewellers Association. They expressed complete confidence in the craftsmanship of Pakistani jewellers and advised the Association to increase export of jewellery. Therefore, talks were held with then Export Promotion Bureau (Now Trade Development Authority of Pakistan).
De Beers, the largest international diamond mining company, organized a function, Trade Launch, at Crystal Hall, Pearl Continental, Lahore, in collaboration with Muhammad Ahmad, Chairman Lahore Division Sarafa & Jewellers Association, on May 3, 1998. Junaid Gul, Manager, De Beers-Pakistan conducted the function. The event was attended by a large number of jewellers from Lahore and other cities of the country.
World Gold Council for the first time introduced in Pakistan by the Lahore Division Sarafa & Jewellers Association at its First National Jewellers Seminar and Award distribution ceremony-1998. The World Gold Council also sponsored 50 awards on this occasion, which were awarded to those who excel in their art. At this function Smeda made its first public appearance on their request.
In 2004, the struggle for initiating gems and jewellery trade relations between Pakistan and India was started from the platform of Gold Art Promotion Council-Pakistan. In 2008, GAPC-Pakistan took a 61-member strong delegation to India to participate in the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council of India exhibition, India International Jewellery Show.
In addition to this, the GAPC-Pakistan signed a number of barter agreements as media partner with foreign organizations for introducing Pakistani gems and jewellery abroad. Elite Expo Sdn Bhd. Malaysia nominated our Council its sole representative in Pakistan for its Malaysia International Jewellery Fairs. Second barter agreement was inked with Pan American Enterprises for its Tucson jewellery shows. Another barter agreement was signed with CEMS for its Singapore International Jewellery Show.
We also signed a number of barter agreements with Expo Centre Sharjah for its Mideast Watch & Jewellery Shows. Another big achievement was made by inking agreement with media partner (Supporter) for International Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair & Watch Clock Fair Dubai, UAE and International Fashion Jewellery & Accessories Fair & Watch Clock Fair, Casablanca, Morocco.
Gold Art Promotion Council-Pakistan signed barter agreement with Reed Exhibitions, Japan Limited, for the promotion of its events, International Jewellery Tokyo and International Jewellery Kobe in 2009 and 2010. Our delegation participated in their events.
Another landmark barter agreement was signed with Korean International Trade Association (KITA), Seoul in 2010. Our delegation attended Jewellery Fair Korea-2011. Now again we are in the process of signing another barter agreement for the next year, 2012.
In 2011 we inked barter agreement with GeMin +Oryktologika Nea-News on Minerals, Greece, for the publicity of their events in Pakistan through our website and vice versa.
Another barter agreement with Printer, France, was signed for the promotion of their events, Lyon Eurexpo & Palais Brongniart, Paris.
Vietnam Jewellery Association also joined hands with us for the publicity of Vietnam International Jewellery Fair-2011.
Our history:
Our struggle started from 1957 and in 1974 Lahore Sarafa Association, headed by Haji Manzoor Ahmad, was formally launched. After successfully passing through many stages, we started working at the district level on July 25, 1975, and then at the division level. Its name was changed to Lahore Division Sarafa & Jewellers Association on July 30, 1976, and a number of jewellers associations merged in it.
In 1971, the new gram system was successfully introduced by the Lahore Division Sarafa & Jewellers Association, replacing the old tola, masha and rati. Lahore Division Sarafa & Jewellers Association also issued a pamphlet, removing the confusion and solving the old dispute originating between the customer and the shopkeeper at the time of sale of old jewellery and purchase of new one.
Lahore Division Sarafa & Jewellers Association handled all the national issues in an amicable manner. All its historic and memorable achievements will be written with golden words.
After the expiry of Lahore Division Sarafa & Jewellers Association founder President, Haji Manzoor Ahmad in 1993, another chapter of long struggle started. Later, a need was felt to constitute a national level organization in 1997. Therefore, Gold Art Promotion Council-Pakistan (GAPC-Pakistan) was formed to carry forward the mission of Lahore Division Sarafa & Jewellers Association in December 2002. Now on November 11, 2013, keeping in view the importance and value of our rough gems, the organization was re-named as Gold & Gems Art Promotion Council of Pakistan (GGAPCP).
Our mission:
We want to develop the gems and jewellery industry of Pakistan on modern lines in the national and international scenario. |
