Pashmina: Another frontier of Indo-Pak fight on Kashmir

There is a strange battle brewing up between India and Pakistan.  The wool comes not from Sheep but from a Goat.  That goat is local to Srinagar Valley although they have been taken and bred in various other locations to meet the demand of the craze of Cashmere (Pashmina) shawls and clothing.

There is a concept of Geographical Indication (GI) tag – where a product gets its name from the local area it comes from like – Darjeeling tea, Alphonso mango, Assam orthodox tea and Muga silk.

The Pashmina comes from Kashmir and has been popular around the West as “Cashmere”.  So, it also comes under the same copyright area.  And that is where the problem comes in – because Kashmir is divided in two areas – between India and Pakistan.  So, Pakistan is also seeking the “ownership” as well as India.

While the Pakistani side is open to the “Join GI status” between Indian and Pakistani Kashmir sides, the Indian Kashmiris are not too happy.

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.”

So, the question is WHICH area produces the “original” and the real Pashmina?  Surely even though the entire area is known as “Kashmir”, the entire geography does not lend it self for the finest of Cashmere wool.  And that is the argument of the Indian Kashmiris.

Like most things around Kashmir, I do not see a quick addressing of this issue anytime soon.

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