All Pakistan Sizing Industries Association (Apsia) has threatened closing down all the 350 mills for indefinite period, if the government enhances the gas prices. Addressing a press conference here, Chairman Apsia, Mirza Muhammad Shafique said that the difficulties of the sizing industry have already increased manifold due to the hiking prices of raw materials.
On the other hand, power crisis forced 35 percent mills' lock-up besides the mills, which were working in several shifts, now operating for one shift only. He said that the proposed 31 percent jump in gas price would totally knock down the industry and, therefore, the Apsia has decided in protest to shut down all the 350 existing mills in the different parts of the country, if gas prices were raised. Haji Talib Hussain, Amjad Saeed, Mian Ajmal, Raja Muhammad Saleem and Khalid Riaz were also present in the press conference.