PIAF urges government to exempt industry from loadshedding

Pakistan Industrial and Traders Association Front (PIAF) has urged the government to exempt the industry from gas and power load shedding to achieve the exports target. The PIAF chairman Irfan Iqbal Sheikh said the Prime Minister has approved three-year trade policy and set export target of USD $35 billion. However, he said, the decline of US $1.36 billion in exports is a matter of concern therefore the government would have to take concrete measures to overcome the trade deficit of US $19 billion.
He further said that the government must provide cheaper electricity and gas to the make the country's products competitive at the international market and take steps to curtail import bill besides enhancing exports to get the rid of trade deficit. He also demanded of the government to provide conducive environment and withdraw taxes on raw materials to reduce input cost.