MCCI expresses solidarity with APTMA

MULTAN: Muhammad Khan Saddozai, President of Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) on Friday expressed solidarity with All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) on the stance of energy crisis and appealed to the government to restore supply of power and gas properly to the Punjab industries to save millions of jobs.

In a press statement issued here today he said that Federal Government should not victimise the industries in Punjab on political ground. He warned that there it would not be possible for PPP government and its allies to sweep the election in Punjab if lakhs of industrial workers were laid off due to long duration of power shutdown and suspension of gas.

The MCCI President Muhammad Khan Saddozai said that the government has indicated closure of power for over a month, the industries are left with no other choice but to lay off millions of workers till the power supply and gas supply will fully restore. He said that there is a global principle that industry is given top priority whereas in Pakistan it comes to the least and other sectors are given priority. He also urged the government to get replaced obsolete gas geysers and heaters with latest solar geysers and heaters to ensure gas to the industry.

The MCCI President said that around 40 percent of the industrial units in Punjab run on gas and gas suspension means no production by almost half of the industry and a loss of millions of rupees to the exchequer. MCCI President said that APTMA has already announced to relieve its workers because of total closure of their mills while other affected sectors would soon follow the suit. He said justice demands that all provinces should be treated equally in supply of these important utilities.