LAHORE: All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) Punjab Chairman Aamir Fayyaz has said that unemployment of textile workers is on the rise because of the delay in the announcement of textile package by the government. Over two dozen mills have been closed down in the province, while a large number of mills have reduced their operations to one or two shifts, which has left thousands of textile workers jobless, he said. The exports data of last four months was showing a significant decline in textile exports, but the government is delaying the announcement of the textile package since August. “So much so, meeting with the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has also proved useless who had given a commitment of resolving textile industry issues in September,” he added. He lamented that November is near to an end, but there is no clue of any textile package by the government. “The textile workers are losing their jobs one after another and the government is yet considering the textile package,” he argued. He said the textile industry is considered to be the growth engine and employment generator in the region but the government in Pakistan is showing a cold shoulder to the textile industry, which is quite confusing. The government was not announcing a long term policy for revival of textile industry relative to India, Bangladesh and China where extensive support is being provided to the textile industry for mass job creation. He said the textile exports have declined in terms of quantity and value, which is leading to job losses of textile workers. Textile industry of Punjab, which is about 70 percent of total textiles of Pakistan, is facing serious viability issues due to unprecedented energy cuts whereas industries in other provinces are being provided gas supply on continuous basis throughout the year. Quoting figures, he stated that during 2010 gas supply was above 73 percent available on an average however this year the availability has come down to only 25 percent, which has further reduced to 16.67 percent recently by SNGPL. He said the revival of textile mills would be impossible once they closed down their operations due to viability issues. Structures of many mills have turned into godowns, and the land is being utilized for housing societies. He said the menace of terrorism could only be overcome in case the government is serious in curtailing the problem of unemployment.
