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Zia Haq

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New Delhi, December 01, 2007

First Published: 03:04 IST(1/12/2007)

Last Updated: 03:12 IST(1/12/2007)

A new thread was added to the Indo-Pak tussle over a patent for Pashmina. At loggerheads for a while over a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for the prized wool, Pakistan said it is “open to a joint GI tag”, shared by both sides of Kashmir. India said this is possible only if Pakistan’s Pashmina is the same quality for which it has sought a patent.

If Pashmina gets the patent — Kashmir Pashmina — it will join the league of Darjeeling tea, Alphonso mango, Assam orthodox tea and Muga silk. New Delhi’s efforts to give Pashmina the tag hit a hurdle with two Pakistani trade lobbies contesting its claim.
 
President of Azad Jammu & Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir, Zulfikar Abbasi, told HT:  “Pashmina is common Kashmiri heritage. A patent for Srinagar Valley would be unfair just like a patent only for Pakistan. We are open to a joint GI status.”
 
On whether India would consider a joint patent, Srinagar’s Craft Development Institute Director MS Farooqi said: “A joint GI is possible only if it is proven that Pakistani Pashmina is the same wool as our. The finest Pashmina is found only in the Srinagar Valley.”

 

tintotopi ji,

I hate to say this, but you are wrong on this,

Pashmina is a urdu word which refers to the wool that comes from a specail breed of goat

called pashmina goat (called changthangi) in Kashmir. The goat thrives in high altitude regions

of Himalaya that includes Nepal too. The same wool is used to make world famous "Pashmina Shawls"

which mostly woven or spun by hand. Its also referred to as "Cashmere" shawl , and its mainly made

in Kashmir and Nepal.

So, historically, Kashmir is known for those shawls rather than Nepal.

Yes, chyantu is right Pashmina is a persian word (pashm = "wool" in persian) later incorporated into urdu and kashmiri.

thanks guys!

its funny actually, concept of Shawl is old - using Pashmina wool (goat's belly hair) to make shawl was a creation of Tibetan businessmen from Nepal. Neither India nor Paku had anything todo with it - they are good in Ctrl+C.

Tibetan's already minted really good $$ from Pashmina long time back already; my dad used to sell for almost $150 a piece wholesale from Nepal in mid 1990's.

By the time other Nepalis and Indians started making pashmina, we're long gone. Currently China make's the largest quantity of Pashmina and you can even buy for $4 a piece.

fyi - tibetan carpets are also Copied big time in India - infact Indians make more Tibetan Carpet than Nepal  (thanks to Maobadi's for destroying this business). Search for Indo-Nepal carpet.