Replying to a question in the national Assembly the Parliamentary Secretary for Industries, Mian Muhammad Asif said shuttleless looms to modernize the power loom Industry. He further stated that the Ministry of Finance has allocated substantial funds for disbursement through commercial banks for purchase of locally fabricated power looms based on modern technology. Facilities of loan are also available, he said, through commercial banks both in local currency as well as under IDA credit. It was only last month that the crisis in the cotton power loom sector forced the Small Unites Owners Association to call for a nationwide strike and close down all its units. The crisis was caused by the increase in the price of yarn within the country because of increased exports due to the rise in the prices of yarn in the international market. Those made the power loom industry work under un-favorable business conditions and even face a loss. The closure of the 1,25,000 power looms in the private sector endangered the employment of about 700,000 families of wage earners. The crisis was ultimately resolved with the Government assuring redress of grievances of the power loom owners and the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) deciding to voluntarily restrain the export of cotton yarn. The Government has now accepted the demand to abolish import duty on looms. We have earlier advocated in these columns that more textile spinning mills should be set up in the country so that yarn is freely available to the power loom industry. In addition the power loom sector should be given export quota for its products. The recent announcement in the National Assembly that 2.3 million spindles have been sanctioned to increase spinning of cotton is therefore welcome news. It is also heartening to note that under the new textile quota management policy power loom owners are also eligible for the new comers’ quota. As it is, with the signing of the recent textile agreement between Pakistan and USA the cotton fabrics quota quantu8m would greatly benefit the power loom sector as the export of Category 313(Latha) would increase by 45 per cent and Category-315 (Khasha) by 100 per cent.