“Bangladesh is a privileged country as it has been counted among least developed nations by the EU and US. It has been given facilities and its textile sector has been sponsored and supported financially by the big economic powers,” said Shahabuddin while talking to the media about the condition of Pakistan’s textile sector here on Monday.
“This is the reason for shifting the textile industry from Pakistan to Bangladesh,” he said, adding businessmen were able to capitalise on this advantage.
According to the minister, more than 40% of the textile industry and around 200,000 power looms have been shifted to Bangladesh in the last five years, causing employment problems. In southern Punjab, more than 60,000 families, who were dependent on daily wages, are finding it difficult to make both ends meet due to job losses. In the whole Punjab, 200,000 families have been directly and indirectly affected.
Defending the tariffs and electricity and gas outages, he said the government was not charging extraordinary tariffs while energy shortage was not restricted to Pakistan. “This is a major challenge as well for the industrial sector in Southeast Asia.”
He said load-shedding would be minimised this year and subsequently power tariffs would be brought down according to the demand in the country.
He said the government would create a tax-free zone for the textile sector in southern Punjab, which is considered a hub of textile industry.
The minister said the government was taking all steps to attract foreign investment and improve the economy, which would solve the problem of unemployment.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 31st, 2012
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post-liberalization competition has become severe , as thr is no quota system now! it is eliminating ineffeicient firms and bigger giants are getting hold of the industry. outsourcing has become more prevalent and those dealing in basic are moving out.
Many of the looms moved before power outages become the norm --- now that power outages and rising energy cost are chronic you can expect more businesses to migrate. Perhaps it's all part of that "grass eating" that Pakistan used to proudly proclaim.
@Aqeel Ahmed
We Pakistani, as usual, have the big mouth. What super power? We only have the capacity to kill ourselves. Come out from the dream and denial. We are a fail state without any reason of doubt.
ha so what if they r made in bangladesh...they are made by pakistani tools, quality and craftsmanship....we are the textile superpower of the world...we should kill Indian and Bangladeshi markets with our superior products
This is pure economics at work and not much else. The government of Pakistan needs to be more creative in setting up incentives for businesses to stay here but that's just doesn't seem to happen.
very well said minister. This statement by y our dearly beloved minister made me proud as a bangladesh.
@Harry Stone: Did you not read the story? Bangladesh is hardly in any better position than eith nuclear India or nuclear Pakistan but they do get preferential treatment from the EU in terms of import of goods. Don't forget that India started the nuclear arms race in South Asia by taking a Canadian gifted nuclear reactor that was given as foreign aid and using it to illegally create nuclear weapons.
Having nuclear weapons is not always an advantage