Discontinuation of gas supply: PM asked to save KP’s textile industry

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Textile Mills Association Chairman Salim Saifullah Khan on Friday asked the prime minister to look into the decision of Cabinet Committee on Energy about the discontinuation of natural gas supply to captive power generation for general industry from 1 February and the export-oriented sectors from 1 March 2021.

In a statement, he said the entire textile industries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was in a state of shock after learning about this news item published in a section of the press.

He said the decisions of the federal government would sabotage the efforts for industrialization and boosting exports. He said the exporters had worked hard to receive export orders for the year 2021.

“Such policies will deal a deadly blow to the exports, foreign exchange earnings and the most labour intensive sector which has provided employment to over 46 percent of the labour force engaged in the manufacturing sector, he added.

Salim Saifullah said this decision had made the regional competitors happy that the orders would be re-shifted to their respective countries.

He add that as most of the industries especially textile industry was running on natural gas using boilers and regeneration system so it was impossible to be converted on the grid and change the whole appliances within one month. He feared that the suspension of natural gas would bring to a halt the only industries in KP which provided 40,000 direct and more than 0.5 million indirect employment.

He said the Peshawar High Court in its judgment had ordered the federal and provincial governments to adhere to the provisions of Article 158 of the Constitution of Pakistan.Salim Saifullah urged Prime Minister Imran Khan to intervene in the matter and to save the textile industry and export.