Chairman All Pakistan textile Mills Association (Aptma) Mohsin Aziz has said Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association's criticism against Ministry of Textile Industry and (Aptma) is uncalled for. He further said that PCGA was leveling false and baseless allegations instead of putting its own house in order. PCGA was maligning prestigious institutions and associations for petty personal gains, which is unacceptable, he added.
Aziz said that the unscrupulous speculators tried all means to sell low grade, rain affected/damaged cotton to TCP to cause losses to exchequer. Aptma and the Textile Ministry thwarted their designs, which led to blame game. Regarding Aptma's opposition to the TCP intervention to free market mechanism and procure one million cotton bales, Chairman Aptma said Aptma opposed the move as per its policy of free market mechanism and it would not allow anyone to intervene.
According to him, the role played by the government in discouraging the unscrupulous elements, particularly the hoarders and opportunists, is highly commendable. He said India had tried to intervene in free market mechanism, which the international community discouraged and India withdrew it accordingly.
Meanwhile, Central Vice Chairman Aptma Seth Muhammad Akbar, who had attended meetings of Punjab Seed Council for approval of cotton varieties including BT-121 and FH-114, said the PCGA criticism to this effect was baseless. He said all varieties were approved on the basis of recommended parameters and specifications of the varieties. According to him, the PCGA criticism is on the basis of false impressions drew out of the proceedings of the council meeting. They should correct their information before criticising a transparent procedure adopted in approval of seeds by the Punjab Seed Corporation, he added.