Pakistan: Publishers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa refuse printing until 4 billion PKR due paid

Peshawar [Pakistan], October 29 (ANI): Private publishers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have refused to print textbooks for public sector schools until the payment of Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 4 billion dues done by the provincial textbook board amid the province's financial crisis, Dawn reported on Sunday.
The development has prompted the textbook board to extend the bidding date for supplying books from October 26 to November 7, according to official documents.
The KP Textbook Board announced tenders on October 7 for the procurement of school books for the next academic year 2024-25 seeking applications by Oct 26.
Private publishers didn't attend the Oct 19 'pre-bid' meeting with board officials causing fears of delay in the provision of books to students in the next academic year slated to begin next April.
"We will print books only if the government clears our Rs4 billion dues from last year as well as releases half of the payments required printing books for next year to the textbook board," the owner of a printing company told Dawn.
He said that last year, publishers printed PKR 10 billion worth of books but the government paid them just PKR 6 billion and that, too, after repeated requests.
"We [printers] have formally requested the provincial ombudsperson to help us receive Rs4 billion dues," he said.
The printing company's owner said that if the government supplied paper for printing books, then publishers would charge it for printing only.
He said that with a long delay in the payment of dues, publishers were struggling to continue with their business and didn't collect bidding forms despite the expiry of the date for it.
"We don't have money to deposit two per cent 'bid security' required for participating in the textbook supply tender," he said.
He said that the owners of printing companies had informed the secretary of the textbook board through a joint letter about their inability to participate in the bidding due to their poor financial position, Dawn reported.
Official sources told Dawn that a pre-tendering meeting between board officials and prospective bidders was called to sort out "issues" but that didn't take place due to the refusal of the latter to show up.
They said that if the government didn't clear PKR 4 billion dues of private printing companies on time, it would not be possible for the textbook board to provide books to schoolchildren at the start of the next academic year causing learning loss.
"In case of any further delay in the payment of dues as well as the amount for next year's printing, then the printing of books will take four to six more months than routine as books are neither sugar nor flour readily on the market," Dawn quoted a board official as saying.
In the current academic year, schoolchildren in some districts of the province received books from the board almost two months after the start of classes in April this year due to a delay in the payment of funds by the government strapped for cash.
Teachers collected books from old students before giving them away to the new students, Dawn reported. (ANI)