All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Punjab has appreciated the Managing Director (MD) Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Ltd (SNGPL) Arif Hameed and his team for continuous hourly-based gas supply for the last three months to the Punjab-based textile mills.
The APTMA Punjab has further urged the MD SNGPL to continue with similar arrangement throughout the year to enable the Punjab-based textile industry to operate to its optimum level. The MD SNGPL visited APTMA Punjab on Tuesday along with his team of senior management. Chairman APTMA Punjab S M Tanveer welcomed him along with senior leadership and newly elected management of the association.
Speaking on the occasion, MD SNGPL Arif Hameed said the SNGPL would re-examine the APTMA''s demand for continuous gas supply of 200MMCFD during winter season. He thanked the APTMA members for acknowledging the efforts of the SNGPL. He added in the same breath that it was a duty of the SNGPL to facilitate industry in the best national interest.
Earlier, S M Tanveer said the APTMA had a vision of doubling the textile industry exports to $26 billion in next five years from the existing level of $13 billion. He said the APTMA was a premier and responsible industry association contributing heavily in economic uplift of the country. It was providing employment to 10 million people, he added. He said the most challenging period of winter season was on the anvil, creating apprehensions among the Punjab-based textile industry circles. In the wake of GSP Plus market access facility, the industry would have an additional opportunity to cater to export demand, he said, adding that the challenge before the industry had to avail this opportunity. He said that poverty and terrorism would be natural outcome of unemployment.
He said the APTMA members were grateful to the Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, Federal Minister for Petroleum & Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbbasi for accepting an out-of-box solution for uninterrupted energy supply.