MULTAN: The Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA) has expressed its concern over the subsidy being given to the sugar industry, terming it the wastage of public money.

PCGA President Dr Jassu Mal while presiding over the meeting of the central executive committee here on Monday condemned the anti-cotton policies of the government.

“The crop which is earning the maximum share of foreign exchange is being targeted to accommodate the opportunists and relatives (of those in power) as the owners of sugar industry are from both opposition and treasury benches.”

Mr Mal said taxes were being imposed on the ginning industry while subsidy of Rs15bn to Rs20bn was being given to the sugar industry which was the wastage of public money.

“The government should withdraw implementation of illegal, immoral and unjustified taxes on the ginning industry,” he demanded.

He said cotton was the backbone of the country’s economy and efforts should be made to increase its production by motivating the farmers.

“The recent steps taken by the government will not encourage the farmers for the cultivation of cotton while textile sector will not get any benefit from the textile package announced by the government due to the prevailing anti-ginning policies of the government,” he said.

Mr Mal asked how the textile sector could flourish when there would be no ginning industry in the country. He said that the Federal Board of Revenue chairman should fulfill his promises of waving sales tax on electricity bills and initiating of (tax) refunds for the industry. He demanded the government announce a special budget package for the restoration of ginning industry.

Director Pest Warning Cotton Zone Chaudhry Muhammad Farooq, in his briefing, suggested to the farmers to complete the sowing of cotton till April 15.

ENCOUNTER: Multan police killed three alleged robbers in a police encounter in the Kanhunwala area of the Jalalpur Police Station on late Sunday night.

Police said Makhdoom Rashid police were taking two robbers, Nadeem alias Kalu from Sheikhupura and Bilal alias Chand from Shahdara, Lahore, to Jalalpur for recovery of looted goods when their accomplices opened fire at the police party which resulted in the killing of Nadeem and Bilal.

The police claimed that both the robbers were killed by the firing of their own accomplices while one unidentified dacoit was killed by the firing of police.

Two of the accomplices of the dacoits managed to escape from the scene.

The bodies of the deceased dacoits were shifted to the Nishtar Hospital by the police for autopsy.

Published in Dawn, February 28th, 2017