[1][2] As the eighth largest exporter of textile commodities in Asia, the industry contributes 8.5% to the country's Gross domestic product.
However, due to the devastating floods in 2022 and the ongoing energy and foreign exchange crises, an estimated 700,000 individuals in the textile industry have lost their jobs in 2023.
[5] The origin of the Indian textiles is thought to be the Indus Valley civilization, situated in modern Pakistan, where people used homespun cotton to weave garments.
[6] In the 1950s, textile manufacturing emerged as a central part of Pakistan's industrialization, shortly following independence from the British rule in the South Asia.
However, in the late 1980s, the role of the CEC diminished and by 1988-89, private manufacturers were able to buy cotton from ginners and sell in both domestic and foreign markets.
[11] In recent years, Pakistan has faced competition from regional players including Bangladesh, India and Vietnam.
[14] This dire state of affairs of labor rights comes in sharp contrast to the growing Pakistan fashion industry, which mainly serves the country's elites.