FAISALABAD - The suspension of electricity supply to industrial units will bear drastic consequences. It will certainly prove to be the final nail in the coffin of an already dying textile industry. The unannounced and uncalled-for power supply cut off to textile units has aroused grave concern among everyone associated with the industry.
Pakistan textile Exporters Association (PTEA) Chairman Asghar Ali said this while addressing an urgent meeting to review the fallout of the suspension of electricity supply to more than 450 industrial units in Faisalabad. Asghar Ali said that Pakistan earned 65% of its total annual GDP from textile industry and this industry brought $14 billion worth foreign exchange to the country. But the present plight with no electricity and gas supply to the industry will result in dreadful shut down of textile units and large scale unemployment. Only in Faisalabad, 68 units were forced into closure and 1 million labourers rendered unemployed because of electricity disconnection without any forewarning and announcement. This would result in Rs1 billion loss to the industry and the country on a daily basis," he warned. Other textile unit owners present in the meeting strongly condemned the power supply cut off to textile units and said that it had become next to impossible to work in such unfavourable circumstances. They said that the present situation would further aggravate the plight of textile industry in the country. This will give an unprecedented hike to unemployment and poverty in Pakistan.
On the occasion, the PTEA chairman said that such unfavourable circumstances would force people in industry to shift their set ups to other countries, which would worsen the situation in the country which is already facing multiple problems. He requested the President and the prime minister to take immediate notice of the situation and take timely action to restore power supply to textile units. He said that if the government cannot look after the well being of general masses, then it must step down immediately to assist the textile industry in the country.