The textile associations have decided to launch million workers' long march towards capital city of Islamabad against drastic act of gas shedding to industries for indefinite period. Schedule of the long march will be announced after consultation with all stakeholders.
This was announced by Arif Tauseef, Chairman of Pakistan Textile Exporters' Association at a protest rally at Khurrianwala-Jaranwala Road here on Friday. Meanwhile, an unemployed wager tried to commit suicide but the chairman of PTEA rushed and saved him from fire with his coat.
Arif said that the government had failed to resolve the gas crisis and stopped gas supply to industries for indefinite period, breaching all its previous commitments and assurances rendering millions of workers jobless. He totally rejected the plea of petroleum ministry that gas companies were not bound to supply gas to industries in 3 months of winter.
He said that if this argument was true then what would be the answer for severe load shedding of gas during other months. Practically, industries in Punjab faced acute shortage of gas throughout the year, he added. Industrialists were risking everything to keep the wheel of economy running. However, the government was not paying heed to these problems due to which they have been pushed to the wall, he lamented. Industries were playing vital role in strengthening the national economy and if industries suffered, it would deaden the economic roots of the country, he added.
Arif said that CNG users have an option to use petrol as alternative fuel but fore- earning textile sector has no other alternative option. "The government is not paying heed to our problems due to which we have been pushed to the wall," he lamented. He resented the practice of resorting to such unilateral measures by gas companies without taking business community on board. He said such attitude will shatter the confidence of businessmen and investors, and stressed that before considering any such move; stakeholders should be consulted for finding out a win-win solution of all problems including energy crunch. He said that this new act of indefinite gas load shedding would cripple the industry altogether unless immediate action is taken by the government to resolve this very critical issue.
Addressing a joint press conference, Qamar Aftab, Vice Chairman, and Salamat Ali, Chief Co-ordinator, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PHMA) North Zone, said that Pakistani exports mostly depend on textiles and due to outage of gas supply country's exports would not grow as targeted. They emphasised that the government should ensure supply of gas to industries to avoid troubles in the production process. They demanded uninterrupted gas supply to textile industry being the most important economic post of the national economy. Meanwhile, the protestation continued in Faisalabad and soap manufacturers took out a protest rally and staged protestation in front of Faisalabad Press Club.