Disconnection of gas supply to textile units

Lahore: Chairman All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Punjab S M Tanveer has strongly condemned the SNGPL for sudden discontinuation of gas supply to the Punjab-based textile mills on Sunday afternoon. "It will deprive hundreds and thousands of textile workers from jobs and the country from $10 million per day exports", he apprehended.

He said that the industry was highly appreciative of the Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif, Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and the Economic Co-ordination Committee (ECC) under the Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for keeping one shift of textile mills operational throughout winter despite high domestic demand.

But it seems that some anti-industrialist elements have tried to damage the government's reputation among industry circles by ill-advising it to cut off gas supply to the Punjab-based textile mills a week before the end of the cold weather, he added.

He said Pakistan has got a golden opportunity of boosting its textile exports under the GSP Plus status from the EU. But the energy supply constraints are not only affecting the production capacity of the Punjab-based textile industry but also sending negative signals to the European buyers.