Textile exporters termed proposed gas suspension plan a death knell for export-based textile industry and productivity and sought the Government's intervention and help for a regular supply of gas to the precious forex earning sector. This would not only undermine the textile production but may also generate massive unemployment.
These views were expressed in an emergent meeting of joint action committee for energy crisis, which was participated by Rana Arif Touseef, Convenor Joint Action Committee for Energy, Engr Sohail Bin Rashid, President Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Syed Zia Alamdar, former Vice Chairman Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers Association, Ammar Saeed, All Pakistan Bedsheet and Upholstery Manufacturers Association, Shakeel Ansari, All Pakistan Textile Sizing Association and leading textile manufacturers and exporters at large.
Briefing the newsmen after the meeting, Sheikh Ilyas Mahmood, Chairman and Adil Tahir, Vice Chairman Pakistan Textile Exporters Association said that gas curtailment for textile industry would effect production and industrial workforce retrenchment leading to unemployment and unrest. "Government needs to show political will to keep the industrial wheel moving forward and protect millions of textile workers from joblessness," they said.
Textile industry would only truly exploit the expected market access granted by EU, if it is provided with consistent gas supply, they said, adding that industrial gas supply should be prioritised in a situation when the country was already passing through a severe energy crisis. Textile industry rejecting industrial gas curtailment plan demanded complete exemption from gas load shedding during winter season.
Ilyas Mahmood underlined that there was a global phenomenon that industry was given top priority whereas in Pakistan it came to the least and other sectors were given priority. "Textile industry earned over three billion dollars from textile exports with 40 percent gas supply in July-September period and if enabled to operate uninterrupted, it has the potential to add another three billion dollars export to the country."
He urged the government to immediately shelve the proposed industry closure plan to avert industrial closures and resultant massive layoffs.
Pakistan was likely to get GSP Plus market access to the European Union by 2014 onwards, he said, adding this is right time for the government to support its textile industry and let it grow and expand in all directions to avail benefit of the market access scheme.
Vice Chairman Adil Tahir stated that it was unfortunate that the stakeholders were always kept away from issues related to policy making of trade and industry and stressed the need of taking stakeholders onboard while economy-related issues. Gas curtailment would not only impacted the trade and industry, but the law and order situation would also gone worse with the surge in the graph of unemployment, he said.
PTEA urged the government to ensure constant gas supply to export oriented textile sector for the sake of economy and save the jobs of millions of workers.