950808

Child labour hype

nothing but a plot

to harm Pak exports

SIALKOT: Foreign propaganda of child labour in the manufacturing of sports goods specially in football is a conspiracy hatched by India and some other countries in the region to harm Pakistani exports.

These views were expressed by Prof. Amin Javed, managing director of Sublime Industries, country's leading football manufacturing firm for Adidas, during the visit of Lahore based journalists to Sialkot on Tuesday.

"Pakistan is a top football exporter and supply 80 percent to the world markets from Sialkot and the impression given by some countries is aimed at targeting its export", he maintained.

Prof Amin who is also the president of the Punjab Football Association said hand-stitching of football needs energy and force and it was not a task to be done by a child or under-aged worker.

He said the endurance of a football is judged when high pressure air is pumped in it and if it is stitched by a child it will not survive that high pressure.

He said at the moment 12 to 15 industries in Sialkot were exporting 120 million footballs per year for the leading brand name companies of the world which was a great credit to the country.

Prof. Amin said labour laws and instruction of Government were fully followed in the sports manufacturing industries in Sialkot and there was no evidence that child labour was involved at any stage in it.

He said after the false propaganda, some delegation from different companies and countries made unscheduled visit to Sialkot to determine facts.

These delegations have been themselves that labour laws and other related international laws were not violated at any stage during the manufacturing of sports goods.

He said to counter the propaganda Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry has written letters to various countries and world bodies and this effort has successfully minimised this propaganda.

"India is famous not only for child labour but also for bonded labour and no action has been taken at world level against it but Pakistan has been unnecessarily blamed and defamed in the world under a plan", he maintained.-APP