A war of words between the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) and the Minister of Energy has intensified over interrupted gas supply and hike in tariffs. Both sides are blaming each other for dishonoring commitments. Federal Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar has criticized the APTMA for distorting facts on the gas curtailments to Captive Power Plants (CPPs) and said the government could not bow to the wish or ego of anyone. Furthermore, the government could not provide Re-gasified Liquefied Natural Gas to the textile export industry at cheaper rates after purchasing it at higher rates.
Chairman APTMA, Abdul Raheem Nasir, claimed that Prime Minister Imran Khan had given a commitment of uninterrupted supply of gas against $6.5 MMBtu in addition to 7.5 cents per unit electricity for five years to give the much-needed impetus to the textile industry. However, he claimed, policy change after every two months would badly hurt the industry and exports target. The “government will have to focus on the long-term agreements of RLNG buying instead of indulging in spot-buying which can make things easier for all the stakeholders,” asserted Chairman APTMA, adding, “textile industry is expected to generate $21 billion through exports this year. The government has hiked tariffs for IMF’s one billion dollar loan instead of supporting the textile industry, which has the potential to bring billions of dollars into the country.”
The Chairman APTMA categorically denied making any commitments with the energy ministry on withdrawal of subsidy and shifting plants to the national grid. The government should focus on continuing the supply to the textile sector to fulfill the exports. Pakistan’s textile sector is the backbone of its economy, and it should be given prompt response to restore its full potential.
