Textile sector associations have threatened a massive protest campaign and sit-ins from Nov 15 if the proposed plan to suspend gas supply to industry in Punjab is not reversed soon.
Rejecting the four-month long gas closure plan, representatives of textile associations said the industry will continue 33 per cent gas consumption for industrial production, spokesperson for Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) said earlier yesterday.
Attended by office-bearers of PTEA, Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI), Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PHMEA), All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma), All Pakistan Textile Processing Mills Association (APTPMA), All Pakistan Bedsheets and Upholstery Manufacturers Association (APBUMA), All Pakistan Textile Sizing Association (APTSA) and Loom Owners Association, the meeting termed the proposed closure of gas an industry closure plan.
PTEA Chairman Sohail Pasha said the move would not only deprive the country of billions of dollars in foreign exchange but also cripple trade and industrial activities.
“Millions of workers are in danger of being laid off as a result of drastic fall in industrial production,” he said.
He urged the prime minister and finance minister to intervene and take immediate notice of the matter and fulfill their promises.