ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) has challenged the official minutes issued on the revival of the cotton plan, stating that the document does not reflect the true spirit, directives and consensus reached in the meeting.
Instead, Aptma claims, the minutes appear to have been rephrased to serve the bureaucratic interests of the Ministry of National Food Security & Research (MNFSR), thereby misrepresenting the policy direction of the government and the decisions of the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister.
In a letter to Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Aptma stated that the meeting marked a critical turning point for the revival of Pakistan’s cotton sector.
Steps aimed at revival of Pakistan’s cotton production approved by Dar
However, the Association recorded its “strongest protest” over the minutes issued by MNFSR, alleging that they significantly deviate from actual proceedings and omit several key decisions explicitly directed by the Deputy Prime Minister during the session.
According to the letter, “the issued document fails to reflect the true spirit, directives, and consensus reached during the session, and instead appears to have been rephrased to serve the bureaucratic interests of MNFSR, thereby misrepresenting the government’s policy direction and the decisions of the Chair.”
APTMA claims that the Deputy Prime Minister’s directions regarding institutional reforms and representation in the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee (PCCC) were misstated or omitted in the minutes. The Deputy Prime Minister had reportedly instructed MNFSR to amend the rules of the Cotton Cess Act to ensure maximum representation of Aptma and other private-sector stakeholders, in line with the Aptma Cotton Revival Plan.
The letter states that MNFSR officials acknowledged during the meeting that while amending the Act to rename PCCC as the proposed Pakistan Cotton Board could be a lengthy legal process, the government would immediately implement reforms through amendments to the rules. If Aptma later found the arrangement unsatisfactory, the government would then proceed with amendments to the Act itself.
APTMA asserts that this important direction — discussed at length and agreed upon by the Minister for MNFSR in the presence of all participants—was completely omitted from the issued minutes, altering the legal and administrative implications of the meeting.
Aptma said the Deputy Prime Minister and the Federal Minister for MNFSR unanimously agreed that 70% of the total cess collection would be allocated exclusively for research and development (R&D) and 30% for administrative expenses. This was termed a necessary shift from the existing structure, where barely 5% of funds are used for R&D, weakening the cotton research system.
According to Aptma, both the chair and the minister endorsed that the reallocation was vital to improving cotton productivity and aligning with international models such as ABRAPA (Brazil) and Cotton Incorporated (USA). Yet, the issued minutes reportedly omit this directive and instead revert to the outdated ECC 2011 framework, which the meeting had explicitly superseded.
Regarding the cess rate, MNFSR initially proposed Rs142.80 per bale; however, Aptma requested it be capped at Rs100 due to the economic stress on the textile industry. The minister for MNFSR approved the Rs100 rate, calling it fair and workable. He further directed that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) should collect the cess directly to ensure transparency and efficiency, with the possibility of forming a joint venture with FBR.
APTMA alleges that this decision was also misrepresented in the minutes, which instead referenced past arrangements rather than the clear instructions of the Chair.
Aptma claims the meeting also decided that the restructured PCCC would have industry - majority representation, with Aptma as the lead organization to ensure accountability and efficiency. The Deputy Prime Minister reportedly emphasized that leadership of the cotton revival initiative should rest with the private sector and instructed MNFSR to finalize the institutional mechanism accordingly.
However, Aptma says the issued minutes dilute this directive by generically mentioning representation from provinces, universities, and farmers—while omitting the explicit instruction that Aptma would lead the process.
Aptma argues that key legal instructions regarding rule modification under the Cess Act, the 70:30 R&D-administrative allocation, approval of Rs100 per bale cess rate, and FBR-led collection have been altered or omitted. According to Aptma, this distorts the Cabinet Committee’s decisions and risks delaying or derailing the national cotton revival plan.
Therefore, Aptma has requested the Deputy Prime Minister to direct the Cabinet Division and MNFSR to: (i) withdraw and reissue the minutes to incorporate all directives issued by the Deputy Prime Minister;(ii) explicitly include the directives on rule amendments, cess utilization ratios, approved cess rate, FBR collection mechanism, and industry-majority governance under Aptma leadership; (iii) circulate the revised minutes to all participants for review before finalization and; (iv) ensure future meeting records are jointly verified by all stakeholders to prevent misrepresentation.
Aptma reiterated its commitment to the government’s vision for a sustainable cotton revival through industry-led reforms but stated that such “deliberate distortion” of the Cabinet Committee’s decisions cannot be accepted. Accurate and transparent recordkeeping, it said, is essential to maintain institutional integrity, policy continuity, and public trust.
“Aptma urges that the correct minutes be issued immediately to reflect the true spirit and decisions of the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister MNFSR, ensuring that the revival of Pakistan’s cotton sector proceeds without bureaucratic obstruction,” Secretary General Aptma Shahid Sattar concluded.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025