Srinagar: Authentic cashmere pashmina shawls reflected the shine of India at Qatar's FIFA World Cup 2022. The Emirate government felicitated World Cup special guests and soccer fans with over 70,000 exquisite Kashmiri shawls as souvenirs.
Exporter Waseem Rifat said that he had delivered these pashmina shawls (made from high quality goat wool) to the Qatar government thereby introducing these products to the FIFA World Cup for the first time. He not only succeeded in getting this big contract from the Qatar government but also managed to deliver the pashmina shawls on time.
Talking to ETV Bharat's Senior Reporter Pervez Ud Din, exporter Waseem Rifat said, "I have been working as an exporter in Qatar for many years, it was a big challenge for me to provide about 70,000 pashmina shawls for special guests and fans in Qatar and that too in a short period of 45 days. However, with the help of 3,000 to 4,000 artisans of Kashmir, it has become possible to deliver the order to the Qatar government on time.
Waseem Rifat said that this order of pashmina shawls in a special design, in which not only the pashmina shawls in specific length and width but also the FIFA World Cup and its logo were to be made in a special design. He said that the order Time was short to deliver on time, so 3 to 4 thousand craftsmen had to work in two shifts.
In his reply, he said that the manner in which the Central government and the UT government are taking concrete steps to provide market facilities to Kashmiri handicrafts at international level by facilitating exports is appreciable. However, there is a great need to expand it further. He said that the way other countries run national level advertising campaigns for their handicraft products, it is not happening here. Internationally, Kashmir pashmina, carpets and other products can truly make a greater impact.
During the discussion, he said that the artisans and manufacturers associated with Kashmiri art also need to introduce new designs so that they can also compete at international level. Waseem Rifat said that there is a need to work together, from the artisan to the exporter then we can succeed in taking Kashmiri products globally.
