Salt industry criticises Punjab CM's export ban

Founding Chairman of the Salt Manufacturers Association of Pakistan (SMAP), Ismail Suttar, has criticised Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's proposed ban on the export of raw pink salt. He expressed disappointment over the decision, which was made without consulting key industry stakeholders.

Suttar described the move as a potential disaster for the struggling salt industry, urging the chief minister to involve all stakeholders before finalising such policies. The association had anticipated a meeting with the Punjab government to discuss the implications of the decision but was left out of the process.

"We are already burdened with debt and cannot afford politically-driven decisions affecting private industries," Suttar said. He pointed out that while 70% of mining in Pakistan is conducted by the private sector, decisions are often made by the minority government-controlled Pakistan Minerals Development Corporation (PMDC), which outsources mining operations.

The association emphasised that their concern was not whether the export ban would benefit the country, but rather the need for transparency and stakeholder engagement before implementing policies that could harm the sector.

If the Punjab government is so adamant about increasing exports of value-added products, it should focus on processing other, more valuable minerals to generate billions of dollars, he said.