December 30, 2002	Monday	Shawwal 25, 1423

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MULTAN, Dec 29: Powerloom associations of various parts of the country will take out protest processions in their respective domains on Jan 12.

This was stated at an all-Pakistan powerlooms convention held here on Sunday with Multan Powerloom Association President Munir Ahmad Ansari in the chair.

Delegates from all the major powerloom centres, including Karachi, Faisalabad, Kasur, Hyderabad, Tando Adam, Kamoki, Hafizabad, Gujranwala, Toba Tek Singh, Jhang, Gojran and Jalalpur Jattan, were present at the convention.

An organizing committee was also constituted to make the Jan 12 strike a success. Haji Nazir Ahmad Ansari was nominated as convener of the committee and Khaliq Qandeel Sindhu as deputy convener. Other members are Muhammad Ishtiaq (Karachi), Mian Manzoor Husain (Hafizabad), Muhammad Younas (Kamoki), Ashraf Gujjar and Dr Muhammad Umer (Kasur), PML-N Babu Nafees Ansari, ex-MNA Haji Boota, ex-MPA Saeed Ahmad Ansari and Munir Ansari.

The convention demanded a special package to pull the powerloom sector out of its financial crisis, extend concessions in taxes after declaring it a cottage industry, bring the prices of power and gas for this industry on a par with the international ones, withdraw imposition of sales tax and income tax from the power consumption, consult only real representatives of the powerloom sector while formulating policies, exempt a unit of 12 powerlooms of all taxes, check smuggling of imported cloth and allow cotton export only after meeting domestic needs.

Participants in the convention criticized various government departments, including the Environment Protection Agency, and urged the authorities concerned to save them from the excesses of the officials of these departments.

A number of present and former parliamentarians were also present at the convention to express solidarity with the powerlooms.