A conference titled "Cotton thread – A multi-millennial history of the culture of Cotton of Pakistan" was held at the Embassy of Pakistan, Paris. The event, brought together diplomats, UNESCO officials, representatives of the French textile industry, and fashion designers, to explore the long history of cotton cultivation in Pakistan and its transition to a global fashion industry.
Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Mumtaz Zahra Baloch traced the history of cotton in ancient Pakistan with its discovery around 7000 years ago and the contributions of farmers, spinners and weavers of the region in creation of a textile tradition and laying the foundations of a global textile industry. She explained that as cotton travelled across continents, it carried with it not only a valuable commodity but also knowledge, craftsmanship and cultural exchange.
Ambassador explained that Textiles and apparel remain at the heart of Pakistan’s manufacturing and exports and employ a large share of its industrial workforce, from the spinning mills of Faisalabad to the export houses of Karachi and Lahore. For Pakistan, however, cotton is not simply an agricultural crop or an economic commodity. It is also deeply woven into Pakistan’s cultural heritage, through centuries-old traditions of spinning, weaving, embroidery and textile craftsmanship. These living traditions, she said, are part of the intangible cultural heritage that UNESCO seeks to safeguard: the knowledge, skills and craftsmanship passed from one generation to the next.
Fredrika Sundberg, founder of M/s Sunberg and President of the group “Cercle des Amis du Pakistan” shared her expertise on Pakistan's textile sector, retracing the millennia-old roots of cotton in Pakistan, from its historic origins in the Indus Valley to today's textile industry. She also highlighted Pakistani export potential in textile industry. Catherine Jarrige, archaeologist and former Co-Director of the French Archaeological Mission to the Indus Basin, shared her insight on the evidence of cotton cultivation in ancient Pakistan and highlighted that archeological finds have shown that cotton was cultivated, spun and woven over 7000 years ago in Indus Valley Civilization.
The event was organized as part of the Embassy’s public and economic diplomacy outreach, with the aim of highlighting Pakistan’s historical and contemporary links with cotton cultivation, textile industry and its centrality in Pakistan’s economy.
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