PESHAWAR, Dec 26: Authorities are in a fix over organising two international trade and investment conferences in Peshawar because of the deteriorating law and order situation in the NWFP.

Local businessmen and officials told Dawn that they could not attract foreign and even local investors to these mega events because of the security concerns.

One of the conferences — Gems and Mineral Show — is held every October in Peshawar. The provincial capital was introduced in 1994 as a market for gemstones in Pakistan.

A large number of domestic and foreign buyers from all over the world come to participate in the show which is jointly organised by the All Pakistan Commercial Exporters Association (APCEA) and the Trade Development Authority (formerly Export Promotion Bureau).

This time, however, the 14th show of the series could not be held in time though it was rescheduled twice, says Jamshed Khan, newly-elected president of the APCEA.

The show scheduled for October was rescheduled for November 9. It was again postponed mainly because of the fragile security situation in the region.

“Exhibitions and shows are effective means of exploring the hidden treasures, but it needs an appropriate atmosphere where investors can come fearlessly. At the moment, situation is not ideal for such activities, but I hope we will organise it by next month,” Mr Khan explained.

He said that gems and precious and semi-precious stones were indigenous products of the NWFP, but because of the law and order situation the government was finding it difficult to attract investment to this sector.

The NWFP, Fata and the Northern Areas are blessed with vast and diverse gem deposits, including lapis lazuli, ruby, aquamarine, peridot topaz and emerald.

The second event -- International Investment Conference -- was to be held in December by the Board of Investment (BoI) in collaboration with the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI).

A BoI official said the SCCI, which was to play the main role in organising the event, was concerned about the prevailing security situation in the province. He said that the federal government would provide all logistic and technical support, if the SCCI agreed to hold the conference. An official at the SCCI confirmed that the conference was being delayed mainly because of the security problem.

The first international investment conference was held in 2005. The three-day event had been attended by investors from various countries.