PESHAWAR, Mar 8 (APP): Busy like a honeybee in tailoring of women suits, Nishat Bibi (50), a seamstress of Pabbi, Nowshera district with scattered unstitched clothes, scissor and spools around her sewing machine was working against the clock to meet the set declines’ orders placed by the customers in the wake of wedding, engagements and academics’ results season.
Unaware of International Women’s Day being observed throughout the world including Pakistan here on Friday, Nishat Bibi, who inherited the pain-sticking tailoring profession from her mother, was busy in measurement of ladies and children suits with measuring tape before its cutting to help his husband in meeting the household expenses in the wake of high inflation and price-hike in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Enjoying ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ national song playing in the background at her room’s window by the radio along with her daughter and son, the motivated lady tailor told APP that she had entered the pain-sticking profession after untimely death of her mother few years ago and had been associated with it for the last 28 years.
“I learnt the art from my mother, who started sewing clothes for brides, children and relatives during occasions of marriages, engagements, Eid and birthday parties from a very young age,” Nishat, wearing eyes’ glasses , told the news agency with a smiling face.
Feeling proud of her family’s profession, she said, “presently I prefer to work on fancy suits of brides due to high profit margin as compare to normal stitching of ladies suits,” she said, adding she stitches three suits a day and in case of no electricity load-shedding, she could easily sew about six to eight suits per day.
“Presently, I am charging Rs 500 for a normal suit and Rs 1,000 for a designers’ suits against the prevailing market rate of Rs 1,200 for normal and Rs 2,000 designers suits,” she said, adding the cost of stitching material have increased manifold in the wake of high inflation and price-hike in the country.
Nishat said she was very happy in carrying forward the legacy of her mother as due to this profession she managed to educate her daughter and a son up-to post-graduation levels from University of Peshawar, arranged their marriages and also performed Umrah and was now planning to expand her business to Peshawar.
“Apart from the government jobs, a woman can also prove her abilities in private professions and by starting her own business, which she said is more lucrative then the low paid jobs in public sector,” she reiterated.
She complained that the eight to 10 hours power load shedding in her hometown were hindering her work and because of that the tailors’ community also faces economic losses, adding that she could earn more if the issue gets resolved.
Nishat said, “Pakistan had given us everything and now is the time that we can return for its progress and economic prosperity,”. Like Nishat, hundreds of thousands of women of Pakistan were playing a key role in the country’s development.
The most inspirational women that made Pakistani nation proud including great political leader and sister of father of the nation, Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah, political stalwart, Begum Rana Liaqat Ali Khan, first women prime minister of the muslim world Benazir Bhutto Shaheed, first youngest Nobal Peace Award winner 2014, Malala Yousafzai, labour right activist and recipient of Clinton global citizen award 2015, Syeda Ghulam Fatima, first lady pilot officer Shaheed Marium Mukhtar, first female goodwill ambassador by the United Nations entity for gender equality and empowerment of women, Muniba Mazari, first Pakistani to win two Oscar awards Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy besides first CM Woman in Punjab Maryam Nawaz and many others were shined in the country and world’s horizons making our head high.
Najam Sahar, Director, Zamung Kor (our own house”) government Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was also among one of hundreds of thousands of talented working women of the province, who was successfully supervising the project started to create an equitable and conducive environment to the disenfranchised, destitute and vulnerable children.
She said under Zamong Kor model school system, different facilities including free education, accommodation and sports were being provided to disenfranchised and poor children of the province.
“Zamung Kor school was established in July 2016 with the capacity to hold about 1000 students with facilities of free books, uniform, bags and stationeries besides quality faculty and psychologists services.”
Similarly, eight women shelter homes/darul aman, 235 industrial training centres, women hostels and a girls cadet college in Mardan were set up besides launching first-ever KP women empowerment policy to protect rights of women and ensure their active participation in decision-making and development of Pakistan.
The federal government, under Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) was providing the much needed assistance to each deserving registered woman under Benazir Kafalat Program (BKP), thus benefiting about millions of poor families.
BISP’s Naushonuma (growth) and education kafalat program were launched to counter stunting in women and children besides providing quality education to poor students irrespective of gender discrimination.
Meanwhile, the international women’s day was observed with great enthusiasm at Khyber Pakhtunkhwa amid seminars, talk-shows, debate competition in education institutions and schools. Rallies were also held in different districts where speakers highlighted achievements and problems of women.
The speakers highlighted the role of Pakistani women in the country’s development process on this occasion and demanded an increase in government and professional colleges quota for their education and employment.
