August 7, 2002	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 27,1423

KARACHI, Aug 6: Aptma and KCA on Tuesday expressed their opposition to levy of regulatory duty on cotton import as recommended by the special committee on cotton.

“KCA strongly denies agreeing to any such recommendations as it has always stressed over the past many years that a free import and export policy for raw cotton is the best route for growth of cotton industry in the country,” Zahid Bashir chairman KCA stated in a statement issued on Tuesday.

He said that KCA stands for free trade and that policies once announced should not be subject of speculation as this would only result in higher prices for imported cotton, as foreign shippers would lose trust in economic policies of Pakistan.

Nadeem Maqbool, chairman Aptma, while accepting that the association was a part of special cotton committee which recommended the imposition of the duty but it had strongly opposed any kind of restriction on import of cotton.

He said that he had taken part in the deliberations of the committee and at the time had strongly opposed any kind of restrictions on the import of cotton. Aptma has even sent it’s objections on the committee deliberations to the convener Shafi Niaz as well as all concerned government functionaries, he added.

He claimed that certain quarters were bent upon sabotaging the economic policies of the Musharraf government which had proved very successful in improving country’s economy.

The allegation against the ministry of commerce that they had not looked after the interest of the growers is unfair and uncalled for.

The ministry of commerce had played a crucial role in maintaining a balanced role between different stakeholders, he maintained.

Nadeem Maqbool said that the report of the committee was sent to the president without taking into account the objections raised by the largest consumer of cotton in the country i.e. Aptma.