LAHORE March 05: Lahore Division Sarafa & Jewellers Association and its fifty affiliated associations on Sunday announced that they have no link with those so-called jewellers buying jewellery from thieves without fulfilling the legal and procedural requirements.
In a joint resolution the associations’ office-bearers urged the government to strictly implement the law regarding the purchase of jewellery in order to discourage those elements, who are causing bad name to the jewellers’ community.
This demand was made at a meeting of the Sarafa Association Ghari Shahu in honour of Lahore Division Sarafa & Jewellers Association and its fifty affiliated associations office-bearers.
Speaking on the occasion, Lahore Division Sarafa & Jewellers Association Chairman and President Gold Art Promotion Council-Pakistan Muhammad Ahmad said that the police action for the recovery of the stolen jewellery, in fact, was encouraging the culprits. On the other hand, the genuine jewellers are buying gold jewellery from the open market fulfilling all the legal requirements and paying full price of the items purchased. He regretted that police is harassing the jewellers in the name of recovery of stolen jewellery, which is absolutely illegal and unconstitutional.
Muhammad Ahmad urged Federal Law Minister Wasi Zafar to intervene in the matter and help resolve this serious issue He also said that the jewellers will launch a nation-wide campaign against this black law of section 411 and the treatment meted out to the jewellers in the name of recovery of stolen gold and jewellery.
Others who spoke on the occasion include Tariq Mahmood, Aminuddin Sheikh, Muhammad Javed Malik, Nadeem Ahmad, Miraj Din, Muhammad Tufail and Haji Mushtaq Ahmad.
They urged President General Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Federal Law Minister Wasi Zafar to remove the ambiguity in the law pertaining to the recovery of the stole jewellery so that the unrest prevailing among the jewellers community could be removed.
They also demanded o f the government to establish a permanent department from where the jewellers can purchase gold for their requirement.
Through another resolution, the jewellers’ representatives requested the government to provide full protection to the jewellers against dacoities and other crimes.