No natural gas/RLNG for over 100 days: Value-added textile export industries decry govt’s ‘silence’

KARACHI: The value-added textiles export industries are shocked and totally disappointed with the government for utter silence, indecisiveness and no response to the repeated appeals and press releases to rescue the Karachi industries which have been deprived of gas/RLNG for more than 100 days and the export production has become almost nil in the wake of zero or reduced supply of gas for 19 hours in a day.

The Government’s promises and commitment to assure the supply of gas to export industries appears to be an eyewash and mere lip-service. The value-added textile exporters are highly upset as to why this sheer discrimination is being done alone with Karachi which is the industrial and textile hub of Pakistan that generates 68 percent revenue for the national exchequer, contributing to 54 percent in total national exports and 52 percent in textile exports? The value-added textile export industries are saddened over such unwelcoming behaviour of the Federal Government which has widely shut eyes and ears and kept silent over the repeated SOS calls, appeals and press releases for the last three months. Due to gas outages exporters are perturbed and their image is distorted. If current export commitments are not fulfilled on time the buyers will not place new orders.

Why should the industries of Karachi alone bear the brunt of the gas shortage? Prime Minister of Pakistan is appealed to take immediate notice of the highly aggravated situation as Karachi is the economic and textile hub of Pakistan and the driving force of the national economy.

This was jointly started by Muhammad Jawed Bilwani, Chairman, Pakistan Apparel Forum & Chief Coordinator, Value-Added Textile Forum, Abdul Rehman, Zonal Chairman, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PHMA), Sheikh Shafiq Jhokwala, Chairman, Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PRGMEA), Kamran Chandna, Chairman, Pakistan Knitwear & Sweaters Manufacturers & Exporters Association, Aitzaz Ahmed Japanwala, Chairman, Pakistan Cotton Fashion Apparel Manufacturers & Exporters Association, Kashif Mehtab Chawla, Chairman, Towel Manufacturers Association, Asif Javed, Chairman, Pakistan Bedwear Exporters Association & Asif Riaz Tata, Chairman, Pakistan Denim Manufacturer & Exporters Association in a statement to press and media.

Restoration of gas to Karachi units: Textile makers-cum-exporters send ‘SOS’ to PM

Expressing concern, the Association’s Chairmen, further added that repeated appeals and press releases in the print media without any response from the Government has also distorted the soft and positive image of Pakistan in the eyes of the international community around the globe and has also raised several questions in the Foreign Missions of friendly countries in Pakistan whereby the Ambassadors and diplomats in Islamabad and Karachi have been continuously observing the situation and they may send their advisories to the buyers of their countries which may result to disruption or discontinuation of existing and new export orders.

The export industries of Karachi are also victimized and denied of other alternate fuel like Furnace Oil as the Department of Explosives, Petroleum Division is also not granting the required license to export industries for needful which have applied for same for more than last two months. Production of export industries that have no other alternate energy or power connection/source but only gas/RLNG have completely shutdown. Empty Containers and Vessels to despatch export shipments to various destinations worldwide are also not easily available due to the ill-planning of the Government as the empty containers have been exported, reportedly, throughout last year, in huge quantity and mother vessels are also not coming to Pakistan.

The value-added textile exporters have also deplored the misleading contents of the appeal of ATPMA North Zone published on January 29 wherein the Spinners’ Association has attempted to misinform the Government mentioning that the industries in Sindh were getting required pressure to operate in contravention to the appeals given by APTMA South Zone. Needless to mention here that SSGCL last year received 150 MMCFD of RLNG which has now been reduced to only 35MMCFD against the requirement. Moreover, there is a quantum of 211 MMCFD gas erroneously allocated to SNGPL which was accepted by SAPM Gas & DG Gas needs to be immediately given back to SSGCL. The RLNG terminals are functional in Karachi through which RLNG is supplied all over Pakistan but the industries of Karachi are denied of the same.

Honourable Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, in the national interest, must take immediate cognizance of the situation and urgently respond to the Constitutional Right of the Exporters of Karachi to save the investment of industrialist and protect the soft and positive image of Pakistan globally, otherwise, if such alarming situation prevails, the country may face high unrest and uncertainty due to closure of industries in Karachi, massive layoffs and drastic decline in the national exchequer further leading to chaos.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022