Manend Team 
ISLAMABAD, (MANEND NEWS): Special Assistant to Prime Minister on
Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection Dr Sania Nishtar on Thursday
has said that the Pakistani women were very talented, goals-oriented,
risk taker and entrepreneurial.
She said that the current government was taking multiple initiatives
for enhancing their role in the development of the country.
She said that many components of Ehsaas Program were dedicated to
empower the women and uplift their living standards.
She was addressing as Chief Guest the International Women’s Day
celebrated at Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (ICCI).
Mishal Hussain Malick Chairperson Peace and Cultural Organization,
Salma Marwat Khan Jeep Rally Champion, Nasira Begum a self-made
woman entrepreneur, Ayesha Gull ASP Traffic Police Islamabad, large
number of women from all walks of life including university students
participated in the event.
She said that the 50 percent plus agenda of Ehsaas programs was
aimed at improving the lives of disadvantaged women and girls.
She said that empowerment of women was beneficial for economy and
the government was determined to lift 7 million women in Pakistan out
of poverty and help them achieve their potential.
She asked ICCI to join hands with Ehsaas program for further
betterment of women in society.
At this occasion, Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan President Islamabad Chamber
of Commerce and Industry along with Dr. Sania Nishtar SAPM to PASS,
Fatma Azim Senior Vice President and Abdul Rehman Khan Vice
President ICCI inaugurated a digital portal for women titled
“ShEmpower”.
The portal will provide various services to women entrepreneurs
including promotion of their businesses, enabling them to participate in
virtual events, providing them information about business registration
procedures and helping them in capacity building through various
training programs.
Speaking at the occasion, Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, President ICCI said
that women were over half of the country’s total population and
bringing them in the mainstream of economy was very important to
realize the actual economic potential of the country.
He said that currently less than 10 percent women in Pakistan have
access to financial services and urged that the government to adopt
financially inclusive policies for women to improve their economic
empowerment.
He pointed out that the access to finance was a major problem for
women in Pakistan in starting businesses and emphasized to come up
with low cost credit schemes for women entrepreneurs that would
ensure their economic wellbeing and reduce poverty from society.
He said that ICCI has recently held an e-commerce summit to help
businessmen and businesswomen in starting online sale and added
that ICCI would also take initiatives to organize exhibitions of
businesswomen products besides holding programs to enhance their
connectivity and networking.
So that they could further promote their businesses and could
contribute more effectively towards the economic development of the
country, he added
Mishal Hussain Malick, Chairperson, Peace and Cultural Organization
highlighted the challenges being faced by the women in Indian Held
Kashmir and called upon the international organizations and the world
community to play a role for the right of self-determination to the
Kashmiri people so that their women could also achieve better
economic empowerment.