Minister Shafay inaugurates Garment, Textile Machinery and Accessories Exhibition

LAHORE, Oct 15 (APP): Provincial Minister for Industries and Commerce Chaudhry Shafay Hussain inaugurated Pakistan’s largest four-day exhibition of garments, textile machinery and accessories here at Expo Centre on Thursday.

The exhibition will continue from October 15 to 18, with more than 550 companies from 30 countries showcasing their products.

Following the inauguration, the provincial minister visited various stalls and expressed keen interest in the products on display. CEO of Fact Exhibitions (Pvt.) Limited, Saleem Khan Tanoli, accompanied the minister. Chaudhry Shafay Hussain congratulated the organisers on the successful launch of the exhibition.

Speaking to the media after the inauguration, the provincial minister said that such exhibitions played a pivotal role in promoting business activities and strengthening business-to-business (B2B) linkages. He said the textile sector was a key pillar of the national economy and an important source of employment.

He stated that the Punjab government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, had taken practical steps to promote the textile sector. A state-of-the-art Garment City had been established at Quaid-e-Azam Business Park, Sheikhupura. He added that work was also underway on cotton seed development in collaboration with China to enhance cotton production.

The provincial minister said that during his visits to China, investment agreements had been signed with several Chinese companies for investment in Punjab, and implementation of six of these agreements had already begun.

He further stated that several electric two-wheeler manufacturing plants had been established in Punjab, while more plants were being set up. Factories for lithium battery manufacturing were also being established in the province.

Responding to a question, Chaudhry Shafay Hussain said that hydropower projects with a capacity of 20 megawatts each could be installed on Punjab’s canals. He said generating electricity through water-based projects could help reduce electricity prices. The Punjab government, he added, was planning to establish small hydropower projects along the canals.

In response to another question, the provincial minister said that the deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had necessitated the imposition of emergency. He observed that a single political party had governed the province for years but had failed to deliver for the people.

Chaudhry Shafay Hussain stated that the incumbent Punjab government had completed a record number of development projects over the past two and a half years with transparency, adding that the people of Punjab were benefiting from these initiatives.