Meeting with federal trade minister: PTEA patron chief assured of Rs35bn refunds payment

FAISALABAD: The caretaker federal government has promised to activate dormant industries within one month, continue the industrial support package and pay refunds of Rs35bn by September 4.

This was stated by the patron-in-chief of Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA), Khurram Mukhtar, after separate meetings in Islamabad on Wednesday with Federal Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Gohar Ijaz, Federal Minister of Energy, Muhammad Ali, and a member of Federal Board of Revenue.

Khurram said that Dr Gohar Ejaz has set a target of increasing exports to $25 billion within a month by reactivating closed industries across the country and also assured that all outstanding refund payments to exporters will be processed expeditiously.

According to Khurram Mukhtar: “Federal Energy Minister Muhammad Ali assured the industry that the industrial support package will continue even after October 2023 and problems related to distribution of electricity faced by the export industries will be resolved soon.”

Mukhtar said the meeting with the caretaker federal ministers has been very encouraging and it is hoped that the industry will stand on its feet again with their efforts. “Exporters will make every possible effort to achieve the target of $25 billion in exports. If the problems faced by export industries are solved in a month, it will not only increase exports but also bring new investments to the country,” said the patron chief of the Textile Exporters Association.