Pakistan's textile sector struggles to bounce back

Faisalabad, Pakistan

AS Pakistan slowly emerges from a long-term power crisis, its once booming textile sector is scrambling to find its feet - but high energy costs and a decade lost to competitors mean recovery is far from assured.

Energy production was severely depressed for more than 10 years due to chronic under-investment, inefficiencies in the power network and an inability to collect sufficient revenue to cover costs. The result was crippling for manufacturers and in particular the textile sector, which employs 30 per cent of the working population.