MULTAN, May 28: The Pakistan Open-End Spinners Association has demanded the government that it should abolish the 25 per cent duty on the import of cotton waste.

Speaking at a press conference, association chairman Chaudhry Tassadaq Rasool further demanded the government that it should ban the export of cotton waste so that the country could earn more foreign exchange by exporting value-added products made of the local raw material.

He said the spinning units once used to dispose of their waste uselessly, but with the advent of open-end spinning in the country a decade ago the cotton waste became a useful raw material to produce coarse yarn.

"Now the open-end spinning has become a flourishing industry in the country as the leading supplier of coarse yarn," he added. He said the industry had been enabling the country earn $1 billion foreign exchange per annum on the export of finished goods made of coarse yarn.

The coarse yarn of lower counts is generally used in non-wearing finished goods like tents, canvas, traupline, towels, bags and sacks, bedwear, kitchen aprons, ropes, mops, dusters, bath mats, cushions, camping accessories, curtain and sofa cloths.

Demanded: The Lahore High Court Bar Association, Multan bench, in its general body meeting demanded unconditional homecoming of the 'exiled' political leadership of the country besides releasing all political prisoners.