The marble industry in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) faces dire challenges due tothe escalating costs of fuel and electricity, coupled with a slowdown inthe construction sector. This once-thriving sector, with over 6,000 marblefactories across KP, now on brink of collapse.
Asghar Khan, Chairman of the All Pakistan Marble Industries Association,emphasizes the vital role the marble industry has played in providinglivelihoods to hundreds of thousands of individuals in various KPdistricts, including Mardan, Nowshera, Buner, Swat, Swabi, Peshawar,Abbottabad, Mansehra, and Mohmand. Not only does it offer employmentopportunities, but it also contributes significantly to the nationaleconomy through tax revenues.
However, Khan points out that the government’s decisions to raise powertariffs, accompanied by additional taxes like sales tax, withholding tax,and general sales tax (GST) due to fuel adjustments surcharge inelectricity bills, have pushed the industry to the brink. The soaring fuelprices have also burdened marble factories with increased transportationcosts.
Hassan, a marble dealer, attributes the overall slowdown in constructionactivities in the country to broader economic challenges, particularlyinflation, which has diminished consumers’ purchasing power. Despite theabundance of high-quality marble deposits in the Mohmand tribal district ofKP, the development of the Mohmand Marble City has been sluggish forvarious reasons.
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However, there is a glimmer of hope as the Marble City has been designateda special economic zone and incorporated into the China-Pakistan EconomicCorridor (CPEC). This presents an opportunity to harness Pakistan’s premiummarble industry for the benefit of the national economy. Nonetheless, itrequires immediate attention and incentives from the authorities to unlockits full economic potential, as suggested by Maharaj.
