20000329

Bed sheet quota

service suspension

termed unjustified

RECORDER REPORT

FAISALABAD: The unilateral decision of the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) to suspend the bed sheet quota service of the All Pakistan Cloth Exporters Association (Apcea) for a period of three months is highly deplorable. This unjustifiable action of the EPB would discourage the exporters of up-country and also adversely effect the export of textile fabrics from the country.

This was stated by Apcea Chairman Mian Naeem Omer here on Tuesday while addressing news conference.

He said 400 exporters should not be punished owing to the fault of an individual export firm.

Omer said a member firm of Apcea, Messrs. Saqib Fabrics, had reportedly committed forgery by exporting fabrics to European countries in excess to their valid quota. On receiving information of this forgery. Apcea not only suspended the membership of Shabbir Associates and High Tec Exports, the sister firms of Saqib Fabrics, but also recommended to the EPB to take appropriate action against these exporting firms. The EPB after thorough hearing of the case imposed a fine of Rs 50 million to the exporter concerned, besides confiscating the quota of this export firm for violation of the rules framed by the EPB.

In addition to this, the EPB also suspended the bed sheet quota service of Apcea for a period of three months.

Apcea Chairman said the association had only issued the blank visa forms to the penalised export firm, which was not contrary to the prevailing practice. He said Apcea had only issued the visa form, whereas the visas were issued by the EPB which were later forged by the firm.

He said after the individual punishment to the firm, the action taken against the association by the EPB was unjustifiable.