LAHORE, July 11: Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf on Wednesday constituted an Energy Import Terminal Committee to speed up work on project to import liquefied natural gas (LNG) for addressing growing energy shortages.

The committee comprises All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) leader Gohar Ejaz and secretaries of finance and petroleum.

The committee was formed during the prime minister’s meeting with an Aptma delegation and it will meet on Thursday.

The committee would have major preference of completing the terminal within a period of six months to safeguard the interests of the industry before the gas supply suspension in winter.

The Aptma delegation comprising its chairman Mohsin Aziz, group leader Gohar Ejaz, vice-chairman Seth Akbar, provincial chairman Ahsan Bashir and others called on the prime minister to present him the way forward of textile industry in order to strengthen exports and employment.

The Aptma leaders briefed him about fast eroding competitiveness of the textile industry in the region due to short supplies of electricity and gas.

Officials of the ministries for textile industry, water and power, petroleum and natural resources and finance were also present in the meeting.

The prime minister acknowledged the importance of the textile industry for growth in the country’s exports and employment. He said the textile industry had suffered heavily due to energy crisis and passed through a very difficult period.

He assured the Aptma leadership of considering the way forward proposed for increasing exports and employment.

Also, Aptma presented its short and long term proposals on a regionally competitive interest rate regime and the prime minister constituted another committee consisting of finance secretary and Gohar Ejaz to discuss and finalise the proposals.

The prime minister assured the delegation of exemption from load-shedding to the textile mills on independent feeders soon after improvement in the power generation.