HYDERABAD, Feb 14: The secretary general, Muttahida Labour Federation of Pakistan, Qamoos Gul Khattak, has strongly opposed the import of coal for cement factories and other industrial units.

He said this would destroy the coal mining industry of Pakistan and added that it was also against the economic interests of the country.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, he said that the purpose of operating cement factories and sugar mills on coal was to save the foreign exchange being spent on the import of oil.

He said that due to the shortage of gas, the cement factories and sugar mills were supposed to use coal in their manufacturing process.

Mr Khattak pointed out that Lakhra Coal Field alone could meet the coal requirements of the country for 50 years.

He called upon the federal and Sindh governments to take notice of the import of coal from abroad to save the coal mining industry from collapse and also to protect the rights of the workers. SUI GAS: The chairman, Hyderabad SITE Association of Trade and Industry, Mazharul Haq, has condemned the increase in the sui gas rates.

He said this would give a telling blow to the sick industry and exporting units as they would not be able to compete in the international market due to increase in the cost of production.

In a statement issued here on Thursday, he said that the association was of the considered opinion that the already dwindling exports of the country would receive a further setback in the export of their goods.

Mr Haq appealed to the federal government to charge the old rates of sui gas supply to the industrial units of Hyderabad and Kotri SITE.