ISLAMABAD: An international relief organisation on Saturday donated 2,200 sewing machines for poor women of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan and Punjab.

The sewing machines were handed over by Aljourah Abdullah A Alarifi, wife of Saudi ambassador in Pakistan, here at the office of International Islamic Relief Organisation (IIRO), here.

The ceremony was also attended by Managing Director of Pakistan Baitul Mal Barrister Abid Waheed Shiekh, Social Welfare Minister AJK Farzana Yaqoob, former KP minister Sitara Imran, and IIRO regional director general Dr Abda Bin Mohammad Ibrahim Atteen.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms Alarifi lauded the IIRO efforts for empowerment of women. She said sewing machine project would help the poor women to ear respectable living.

PBM managing director Barrister Waheed Sheikh appreciated the IIRO For distributing sewing machines among poor women. He said that PBM would collaborate with IIRO for eliminating poverty and enabling poor people to lead an honourable life.

He said PBM was running 11 different projects to provide various social safety services to orphans, widows, disabled and other needy persons.

Mr Sheikh said PBM had established 168 vocational training centres for women empowerment and 157 national centres for rehabilitation of victims of child labour.

AJK minister for social welfare Farzana Yaqoob said that Saudi Arabia had always stood by Pakistan in difficult times, including earthquake of 2005 and floods of 2010 and 2011. She said that AJK government had established women development centres to empower women.

IIRO regional director general Dr Atteen said that relief activities were underway for betterment of poor Pakistanis. He said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia were tied in strong brotherly relations.