Pakistan Textiles Weave into a New Era

Mian Mohammad Mansha, Pakistan’s wealthiest textile industrialist, considers himself well-prepared for the challenges ahead after the abolition of the global textile quota system this month. The end of the global quota system on January 1, under which the US and the European Union restricted textile imports according to their country of origin, promises to have a huge impact on Pakistan. Up to 60 per cent of Pakistan’s annual export income comes from the textile sector, which employs more than half of the country’s industrial workforce. The European Union awarded the country a 15 per cent rise in its quota for textile exports after Islamabad joined the US-led war on terror following the September 11 attacks.