Exports declining due to gas unavailability to industries: Motiwala.

KARACHI -- Chairman Businessmen Group (BMG) and former president Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Zubair Motiwala said Monday that Pakistan needs to increase the exports but it was not happening at all as the exports have been constantly declining because of unavailability of gas to the industries.

'How could the government expect from exporters to deliver and compete with Bangladesh and India when they have no gas. We are capable of enhancing the exports by 50 percent or $15 trillion within the installed capacity but this can only be achieved when gas is available at required quantum and quality along with competitive price' he added while speaking at a Public Hearing organized by Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) here in a local hotel on Monday which was presided over by Chairman OGRA Masroor Khan along with Member Oil Zain-ul-Abideen Qureshi and Member Finance Mohammad Naeem Ghori to take inputs about SSGC's petition seeking tariff hike.

While referring to the Energy Year Book of Pakistan and Economic Review of Bangladesh, Chairman BMG said that Bangladesh gives 34 percent gas to the industries whereas in Pakistan, only 21 percent gas was given to the industries. 'Yet we are blamed for being unable to enhance the exports which is highly unfair as we are being asked to deliver without realizing the ground realities. In Bangladesh and India, domestic consumers are not the first priority but it is the industries which get gas on top...