He apprehended that industries were already running on 30 percent of their installed capacity due to six hours load-shedding of electricity and this curtailment of five days a week of gas will render the industrial wheel to complete halt. Referring to a news that provinces have already refused to release water from Tarbala and Mangla Dams during the yearly month-long canal closures in December/January, the electricity shortfall will go further from its current high of above 4000 and no gas would be available in the coming month as the supply situation narrates.
Giving comparative input cost available to the industries in the rival regional countries, he said that gas and electricity prices are the highest in Pakistan Rs 485.13/ MMBTU if compared to Bangladesh 260/MMBTU and Sri Lanka Rs 330/MMBTU. Similarly, electricity rates are 10.3 US cents per kWh in Pakistan compared to 5.4 in Bangladesh and 9.1 US cents per kWh in Sri Lanka.
He continued that textile sector is the worst hit as it would not be able to fulfil the export orders for Christmas and the New Year on the one hand while availing the EU Autonomous Trade Preference Scheme (AUTPS) 25 percent quota granted to Pakistan ending December 2012 and also affecting the exports under the scheme in the beginning of 2013.