The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association Punjab has urged the government to take steps to ensure that 22,000 cotton bales stuck at the Wagha border for the last one month are released quickly to keep the textile industry operational.

In a statement, APTMA chairman Tariq Saud said the textile industry is virtually closed due to shortage of cotton. He said the government should patronise the industry by resolving important pending issues. He pointed out that Pakistan’s textile industry is miserably lagging behind competitors like Bangladesh, Vietnam and India.

Saud also appealed the government to save the flagship industry of Pakistan for the sake of national economy by taking concrete steps in the upcoming budget.

The APTMA Punjab chapter’s acting chairman Syed Ali Ahsan also issued a statement urging the commerce ministry to allow import of cotton from India by enhancing the limit of 0.5 million bales through land route at the Wagha border.

He also highlighted the case of stranded cotton bales at the Wagha border despite import permit and opening up of Letters of Credit.

Ahsan said the failure of cotton crop, particularly in Punjab to the extent of 44 per cent, has caused serious shortage of cotton affecting adversely not only to the cotton farmers but also the whole supply chain of textile industry.

“In order to meet consumption requirements, the industry has imported cotton from all sources, including India,” he said.