LAHORE: It was something unusual: the powerful textile tycoons feeding a former president who is also head of a political party that lost the last elections to a “business-friendly” politician, and recalling his five-year tenure during which the industry was able to increase its exports by almost $5 billion to $13.5-14 billion.

The occasion was the dinner hosted by All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) former chairman Gohar Ejaz at his home for Pakistan People’s Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari.

Normally, the business community of Punjab is believed to be suspicious of the PPP because of its past. Many remember how the wholesale nationalisation of the industry and banking sector in 70s had deprived the industrialists of their wealth and forced them to start from a scratch and rebuild their businesses.

The PML-N and its leader are widely considered pro-business. But no longer. The business community’s preferences seem to be shifting fast.

“It was because of President Zardari’s pro-business policies and his personal interest in ensuring energy supplies to the industry in Punjab that created an enabling environment in the province that the industry was able to raise its exports,” said Gohar.

Between 1947 and 2008, the textile exports went up to $9-9.5 billion. But during the last term of the PPP, the industry’s exports surged 50pc.

“We, as business community, do not have any preference for or affiliation with any political party or politician. However, it will be unfair if we don’t give credit to Mr Zardari who helped the industry and the country earn more export revenue and save thousands of jobs,” Gohar said.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who had promised to mend the economy and resolve the growing energy crisis before his assuming of the office for a third term, is now seen by many businessmen as pursuing populist policies rather than taking the tough decisions.

“What is a leader if he cannot lead the nation?,” wondered a leading textile exporter. “Rather than taking long-term tough decisions required to mend the economy, the prime minister is now following the populist policies. It seems as if the ruling PML-N is in the election mode,” he said.

The energy shortage for the textile industry in Punjab has already cost the nation $1 billion during the five months between April and August 2014 on account of 24pc quantitative decrease in export of yarn and 40pc plunge in export of fabric. Apart from the upstream textile industry the value-added sector of Punjab had suffered a lot because of gas and power crunch.

The finishing industry in Punjab is working at a fraction of its capacity and the business is shifting to Karachi. “The gas and power shortages are causing a huge loss to the value-added industry in Punjab. Our business is being captured by the industry in Karachi or elsewhere in the region. It just because of the wrong government priorities,” said Ahmed Kamal, a former chairman of the Faisalabad-based All Pakistan Textile Exporters Association.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2014