June 22, 2007	Friday	Jamadi-us-Sani 06, 1428

LAHORE, June 21: Scores of spinners from Punjab plan to stage a demonstration on Friday afternoon outside the National Assembly in Islamabad to press for their demands and impress upon the government to announce a relief package for the textile industry.

A spinner, who did not want to be identified, told this reporter on Thursday that over 80 spinners had agreed to reach Islamabad and stage the protest for acceptance of their demands.

He said the main objective of holding the protest outside the National Assembly was to draw the attention of the legislators and the government officials towards the rising cost of doing business for the textile industry.

It was making it impossible for the textile manufacturers and exporters to continue to operate in the given circumstances and compete with their regional counterparts.

One of the organisers of the proposed demonstration claimed that they planned a silent protest outside the assembly. “We shall carry placards and banners that would depict the state of the industry and offer the government to take over the mills and rid them of the worries.”

It will be the first instance of its kind if the spinners actually make to the federal capital and hold the demonstration as planned.

Talking to Dawn another leading spinner ruled out the presence of such a large number of yarn producers at the demonstration, saying it will be unprecedented. “We are not a trade union. We cannot do this,” he said. Nevertheless, he said, the intention of spinners planning the protest, no matter how small their number may be, should be enough to open the government’s eyes.

“It shows the level of desperation that the spinning industry is feeling because of the increasing production costs on account of soaring credit price, utility charges, indirect taxation and raw materials,” he added.