by Sarmad Mahmud
SIALKOT, May 7 (APP): Without active participation of women in
business no country can achieve the goal of economic prosperity and stability.
And, in Pakistan, women, who constitute half of its population, are taking active part in the economic activities with zeal and commitment. It should be recognized that women entrepreneurs are confronting with critical issues and certain barriers, which are creating problems in doing business.
Women entrepreneurship is key factor in economic development and
there is a great need of formulating polices to empower women s well
as to pave the way for establishing partnership among public, private
and non-governmental organizations and to introduce financing
facilities etc.
Provincial and Federal governments should announce special incentives
and concessions for encouraging the young female designers enabling them to establish their independent businesses. Besides, the trade bodies especially Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) should extend full support to the young female entrepreneurs in fulfilling their commitments.
Sialkot the export city – a hub of cottage industry and export-oriented
city of the country – is famous for producing quality products worldwide and earning 2 billion US dollars through its exports annually.
In recent past women are coming up as an emerging economic force in main
industrial hubs, including Sialkot and the ratio of their entrepreneurship is increasing day by day in industrial activity especially in this export-oriented city.
It is encouraging that young females are entering into business lines,
especially in fashion industry, and are keen in bringing new fashion trends in the fashion industry of Sialkot. In this regard the Fashion and Design School of University of Management Technology (UMT) is playing an instrumental role in producing female fashion designers.
An exhibition was organized by Fashion and Design School of UTM, in
which the female fashion designers displayed their work that attracted
a large number of females. UTN students Javaria Naveed and Aiman Khan,
while expressing their views, said that they wanted to introduce new
fashion trends.
Talking to APP, they said, “We will try to produce inexpensive but
quality readymade garments for the females enabling them to purchase
easily. Both were willing to initiate their own independent business
with commitment of maintaining quality, standard and original designing
of their products.
Meanwhile, Head of Fashion School of UTM Ms Humda Khan said, “We
are making adequate efforts to produce textile graduate a creative
problem solver using latest tools of textile design, functional textile
and processes. In future the students will be able to play their
dominating role in bringing new ideas and cater the industrial needs of Sialkot industry.”
