Value-added textile sector has threatened to launch a countrywide strike from January 8 if their demands were not accepted by the government. This announcement was made by PTEA, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association, All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association, All Pakistan Textile Sizing Association, Pakistan Cotton Power Looms Association, Save Power looms Movement and Faisalabad Dyes and Chemicals Association in a joint press conference here on Monday.
Addressing the press conference Chairman, Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA), Khurram Mukhtar said that value-added textile industry was continuously protesting against the unrestricted export of cotton yarn and unprecedented increase in its prices in the domestic market since last eight weeks.
Crisis was repeatedly brought into the notices of the government officials in various meetings held at Islamabad. The government also promised to take necessary remedial measures but no practical step have so far been were taken, he said. Elaborating, he said that unbridled export of yarn has not only created supply crunch, but also escalated the prices in the domestic market.
Despite the fact that prices of polyester have come down internationally. With abnormal high jump in raw material prices, the cost of Value Added textile products enhanced enormously and the export of finished goods become unviable in the face of tough competition in the international market.
The office bearers of value added textile sector called upon the government to take all possible steps to resolve the problems as without overcoming these issues, the textile export target of $25 billion would be hard to achieve in the prevailing conditions.
They demanded immediate cognisance of this serious matter by the government failing which the textile industry as well as textile exports would collapse. We are peaceful citizens of Pakistan but the oncoming industrial crisis has forced us to forewarn the decisionmakers of the impending disaster for national economy, Khurram Mukhtar said.
Spinner's lobby was trying to sabotage the government's first ever five-year textile policy and hindering the achievement of $25 billion export target, he quipped. He said that 300 spinning industries should not be allowed to hijack thousands of value-added textile and ancillary industrial units generating employment to millions of workforce.
Answering a question, he said that they have received an invitation from high government authorities to hold meeting on the issue but it was unanimously decided to refuse such invitation without any credible assurance to accept our demands. In case of no acceptance of our demands, we have also the right to contact the Supreme Court of Pakistan for necessary relief, he said.
He also condemned the recent hike in the prices of gas and electricity and said that there is no reason to raise their prices at this critical stage and demanded to withdraw this decision. He also condemned the bomb blasts in Karachi, lucky Marwat and other parts of NWFP and expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives of innocent citizens and goods worth of billions of rupees in the tragedy.
In the end, he demanded of the government to take immediate action to cap the export of yarn at last year's volume till 7th January failing which a countrywide strike will be launched and the industrial wheel would be jammed across country. Later, hundreds of industrialists and workers of value added textile sector jointly staged a protest walk. The participants holding black flags and banners marched from PTEA office up to District Council Hall.