LAHORE: Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PHMA) has condemned the illegal detention of containers loaded with exports’ goods by the law agencies in various cities of Punjab.
In a letter written simultaneously to the prime minister’s commerce advisor, Punjab chief minister and Punjab chief secretary, PHMA Vice-Chairman Shafique Butt observed that the detention of containers by the police have put millions of dollars-worth export orders at risk.
“The supply of imported raw material is not reaching the manufacturing units as the government has laid siege to the main cities,” he remarked.
Blaming both the government and the opposition for the prevalent state of economy, he said that all governments of the past remained indifferent towards the country’s export crisis.
“The confiscation of containers and heavy vehicles was causing trouble to the importers, exporters as well as transporters, halting trade and industrial activities across the country,” he maintained.
The vice-chairman said the business community was impartial and it should not be dragged into political affairs, adding that the containers were held by the police for political reasons while the “demurrage and rent cost would be sustained by the businessmen for nothing”.
Butt said owing to the seizure of containers, the LCs (Letters of Credit) of traders would expire and their export orders could be cancelled. He alleged that the Punjab Police had also snatched trucks, loaded with textile products worth millions of dollars, to use as barriers against the agitators.
The PHMA vice-chairman further stated that a large number of hosiery exporters were worried because they had no information about their export cargoes. “There is no clue about the whereabouts of several shipments on way to the harbour, and the exporters have no idea where their containers are.”
He criticised the government’s anti-protest strategy that was “causing a big financial loss to the exporters”, saying the exporters were uncertain that whether they would be able to ship their consignments to the world markets as per schedule.
He said the country’s exports had already been flat and the unresolved issues might further worsen the situation.
“There are a large number of exporters whose cargoes are not insured and they may face a financial loss of millions of dollars if the consignments are lost or damaged. The hijacking of export cargoes just to stop protests is nonsensical,” he added.
The vice-chairman further observed that the global customers were also annoyed with the ongoing delay in shipments from Pakistan.
