PESHAWAR: Women entrepreneurs have urged the ministry of commerce and industry to incorporate proposals of all women chambers into trade policy so that the women dealing in different types of businesses could also come forward and play role in strengthening of the economy.

These views were expressed by speakers at a seminar titled “Advocating for Gender-Focused Reforms in Pakistan’, organised by the Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the chamber’s house on Thursday.

WCCI chairperson Fitrat Ilyas Bilour, women chamber president Azra Jamshid, Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Faiz Mohammad Faizi, Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry former presidents Masooma Sabtain and Falza Mumtaz and a number of women entrepreneurs attended the event.

Azra Jamshid said that businesswomen belonging to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were facing difficulties in promotion of their businesses. She asked the women entrepreneurs to keep close liaison with the women chamber and apprise it of their problems so that the same could be taken up with relevant institutions for solution.

Ms Mumtaz in her presentation said that women should convey their issues to the relevant authorities to make efforts for their resolution.

She said that the ministry of commerce and industry was a policy-making institution, which should focus on the issues of women entrepreneurs.

She said that institutions like Smeda, First Women Bank and Trade Development Authority of Pakistan could provide assistance to businesswomen.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2018