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FAISALABAD: Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers & Exporters Association (PHMA) North Zone Senior Vice Chairman Ahmad Afzal Awan has expressed serious concern over the continuing nationwide strike by goods transporters, warning that the disruption is putting Pakistan’s exports, industrial production and foreign exchange earnings at substantial risk.
He said millions of dollars’ worth of export orders were at risk as factories faced severe difficulties in transporting raw materials, finished goods and export consignments. A large number of containers carrying export and import cargo were also stranded at ports, terminals and various locations across the country, disrupting supply chains.
Ahmad Awan said the strike was no longer merely a transportation issue but had emerged as a major threat to export-oriented industries. Factories and their supply chains were being disrupted, while exporters faced the prospect of missing shipment deadlines and delivery commitments to international buyers.
He cautioned that a prolonged disruption could result in a loss of valuable foreign exchange earnings at a time when Pakistan urgently needed to boost its exports. More importantly, he said, losing an international buyer could mean losing years of business, as global buyers might shift orders to competing countries if Pakistani suppliers repeatedly failed to meet delivery schedules.
The PHMA leader urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir to take immediate notice of the situation and intervene to resolve the dispute at the earliest.
He stressed the need for effective measures to ensure the uninterrupted movement of export and import cargo across the country and prevent further disruption to trade and industrial activity.
He also called for establishing a permanent institutional mechanism involving the government, transporters, exporters and other stakeholders to resolve future disputes and prevent strikes from bringing export operations and industrial supply chains to a standstill.
“Pakistan cannot afford a situation where a transport strike puts millions of dollars in export orders and the country’s hard-earned international markets at risk. We need a permanent mechanism to ensure that exports continue without interruption, even during future disputes,” he said.
