ISLAMABAD: A week after the passage of the federal budget 2026-27, exporters have urged the government to fulfil their key demands, including the removal of the cross-subsidy and the announcement of a roadmap for clearing outstanding refunds amounting to Rs327 billion to promote exports.
The issues were discussed in a meeting with Minister of State for Finance Bilal Kayani, who was tasked by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif with resolving the export sector’s outstanding concerns. The exporters’ delegation included Khurram Mukhtar, Patron-in-Chief of the Pakistan Textile Exporters Association, Javed Bilwani, former president of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Syed Ahtisham, President of the Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Rana Imran, Jamshed Murtaza, Zubair Motiwala (former president, KCCI), and Aslam Pakhali (CEO, FA International).
An official announcement said the delegation reiterated its demand for the removal of the cross-subsidy from the B3/B4 industrial power tariff, an issue raised earlier at the industry’s meeting with the prime minister.
Moreover, representatives stressed that the cross-subsidy continues to inflate energy costs and undermine the competitiveness of export-oriented industries. Textile exporters are aiming to surpass the FY27 export target. Power is one of the largest conversion costs — so every step toward competitiveness carries significant value. Most B3 and B4 mills are export-oriented, so fixing the voltage anomaly feeds directly into the export drive, it was pointed out in the meeting.
