Pakistan Carpet Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PCMEA) was
established in 1962 to run the affairs and work to promote the carpet
manufacturing industry of the country. The association is divided in two
zones, Northern and Southern, with respective offices in Lahore and
Karachi. The association has around 500 active members from all four
provinces of the country. An executive body is elected every year
comprising 24 members (12 from each zone).The manufacturing of carpets
in Pakistan began in the same way as in India and when the country was
separated from India most of the weavers, which were Muslims, moved to
the Pakistani side. Most of them found jobs in Lahore and Karachi, and
at the same time the government began to support the import of quality
yarn.
In Pakistan, carpets are manufactured nowadays with fine Australian wool
yarn making these carpets very similar to silk carpets. Carpets with a
high knot density provide strong durability at a lower price than its
Persian parallels.
The Pakistani carpets, which today are mass-produced (in Lahore, Karachi
and Rawalpindi), are divided into Mori carpets and Persian where 90% of
the Mori carpets have a Bokhara-like pattern and other Turkmenistan
patterns. Ziegler carpets, that are manufactured in Pakistan, have
patterns that are copied from older traditions in the Atak district,
Persia. Carpets are also being manufactured here that gather inspiration
from Caucasian carpets and are sold as "Kazak Fine”. The carpets are
made of wool, often imported, of varied quality and the warp and weft
are made of cotton. The Mori carpets are woven with a single warp while
the others are woven with a double warp. The dominating color on these
carpets is red but other colors occur and the carpets are often treated
to luster.
