Distressed over the continued gas suspension for eight weeks, Pakistan textile exporters have called on the President, Prime Minister, Minister for Textile Industry and the Adviser to the Prime Minister on Petroleum and Natural resources to take immediate note of the situation and bring an early solution to the same so as to safeguard the US$ 14 billion textile industry of the country.
Condemning Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) for continued gas loadshedding to textile industry and terming it as an anti-industrial move, Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) said the eight-week long suspension had badly hit the industry’s production and exports, almost pushing it to the brink of collapse.
In a statement, PTEA Chairman Asghar Ali said while the Government is under utter confusion as to how to overcome the crisis, the textile mills are being forced to lay-off the workers as they are being able to operate at only half of their production capacity.
During last year, the textile industry received gas for only 178 days, and the situation has rather worsened this year. Following this, the domestic industry is losing its global credibility as it is not being able to honour its export commitments, Mr. Ali said.
He commended the Government for ensuring regular power supply and demanded the same for gas.
PTEA Vice Chairman Muhammad Asif said the gas crisis has also induced flight of industrial units to other countries like Malaysia and Bangladesh and extraction of capital by investors.
