ISLAMABAD: A large number of women entrepreneurs and home-based artisans have gathered in Pakistan’s federal capital to participate in the colorful two-day Islamabad Women Gala 2024, which is scheduled to conclude later today on Sunday evening.
The festival, which began the day after International Women’s Day, is organized to honor female workers who frequently face challenges in pursuing their professional aspirations and earning livelihoods for their families due to social constraints.
Hundreds of families were drawn to Lok Virsa on Saturday, where an assortment of garments, paintings, candles, jewelry, and furniture was displayed.
Speaking to Arab News, women entrepreneurs maintained the event provided a valuable platform to broaden their customer base.
“These events are very important when you are a woman entrepreneur and you are working from home,” Amber Fatima, a print designer, said. “The thing is that you get to know your market when you go to such type of exhibitions. You understand the customers, you understand what pricing you should be doing.”
Many participants, running small businesses, highlighted their reliance on online platforms for marketing.
“I don’t have a team, I don’t have a warehouse,” Maryam Ashraf, who sells candles and clothes, informed while describing the handling of her online presence as the biggest challenge.
However, she expressed satisfaction with her festival participation, which significantly boosted her customer outreach.
The gala features over 130 vibrant stalls managed by women entrepreneurs from diverse ages and economic backgrounds.
Some, like Aliya Ahsan, a former educator, embarked on entrepreneurship after leaving previous jobs or retiring.
“I learned this [candle-making] online during the coronavirus pandemic,” she told Arab News. “And I’m feeling very happy that I’m not wasting time.”
“Children have grown up,” she continued, “so now I feel that I have time and I should not waste it.”
According to Kaarandaz, a Pakistani non-profit organization, over 50 percent of women-led businesses are unregistered and face the growth and scaling challenges.
The 2022 Global Gender Report also reveals that women suffer from economic under-participation, and only 4.5 percent of them can be seen in the top corporate or legislative roles in Pakistan.
Many participants of the festival said they enjoyed running a small business as it made them financially independent and gave them an identity.
“The advantage of setting up business is that you become independent,” said Saeeda Tasleem who is in the garment business for 25 years. “You can buy anything of your own choice.”
Two-day festival celebrates women’s entrepreneurship in Pakistan amid economic inclusion challenges
https://arab.news/vfg6b
Two-day festival celebrates women’s entrepreneurship in Pakistan amid economic inclusion challenges
- The festival began a day after International Women’s Day to honor female workers earning livelihoods for their families
- Islamabad Women Gala 2024 has brought together home-based artisans who mostly rely on online marketing to sell products
UAE deputy PM to visit Pakistan on Apr. 20 to strengthen bilateral ties
- Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan will undertake a two-day official visit to Pakistan
- Pakistan and the UAE have moved closer in recent years to deepen economic cooperation
ISLAMABAD: United Arab Emirates Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan will arrive in Pakistan on a two-day official visit starting April 20 to strengthen bilateral cooperation, state media reported on Friday.
Pakistan and the UAE have deepened their economic partnership in recent years. The UAE is Pakistan’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States, and a major source of foreign investment, with over $10 billion invested in the last two decades.
“Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan will undertake a two-day official visit to Pakistan from Sunday,” Radio Pakistan said on Friday.
It added that the visit reflected the “deep-rooted” ties between the two countries and underscored their shared commitment to cooperation across all areas of mutual interest.
The UAE is home to over a million Pakistani expatriates — the second-largest overseas Pakistani community globally — and a major source of remittance inflows to Pakistan.
Policymakers in Islamabad view the UAE as an ideal export destination due to its geographic proximity, which lowers freight costs and facilitates smoother trade.
In recent months, the two countries have signed a series of agreements to boost economic ties.
In February, during the Abu Dhabi crown prince’s visit to Pakistan, the two sides signed accords in mining, railways, banking and infrastructure.
Last year in January, Pakistan and the UAE signed deals worth more than $3 billion covering railways, economic zones and infrastructure development.
Pakistan reviews privatization options for New York’s Roosevelt Hotel
- Roosevelt Hotel is a long-held asset of PIA, which itself is undergoing a separate privatization process
- The hotel’s privatization is part of IMF-backed reforms to divest loss-making state-owned enterprises
KARACHI: Pakistan’s privatization board on Friday reviewed various options to sell off the Roosevelt Hotel in New York, a long-held property of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), as part of ongoing efforts to divest loss-making state assets under an International Monetary Fund-backed reform agenda.
The 19-story Roosevelt Hotel, located in midtown Manhattan, has been closed since 2020 and is owned by the Roosevelt Hotel Corporation, a subsidiary of PIA. Its fate has been under discussion for years amid attempts to generate funds from the government’s assets.
The Privatization Commission mentioned its deliberations in a statement, saying that it discussed various transaction options developed by its financial adviser — a consortium led by Jones Lang LaSalle Americas Inc. (JLL) — and finalized recommendations to be presented to the Cabinet Committee on Privatization (CCOP).
“Various transaction structure options developed by the Financial Adviser ... for privatization of Roosevelt Hotel Corporation (RHC), New York were discussed,” the statement read.
However, it did not divulge further details.
The Roosevelt Hotel is one of the assets included in the first phase of Pakistan’s privatization roadmap, which also features the sale of national flag carrier PIA and Zarai Taraqiati Bank (ZTBL). The government aims to complete these transactions within a year.
Pakistan is working to privatise several state-owned enterprises as part of structural reforms under a $7 billion loan program with the IMF. Many of these entities, including PIA, have long struggled with debt, mismanagement and operational inefficiencies.
The Roosevelt Hotel was earlier used to house asylum seekers under a temporary agreement with New York City but remains a financial burden on PIA, which is itself undergoing a separate privatization process. The government is seeking to sell a 51-100 percent stake in the airline and will invite expressions of interest next week.
Karachi mob kills member of Ahmadi community
- Police say the mob was dispersed and 15 people in the building rescued
- The man killed was identified as a 47-year-old owner of a car workshop
KARACHI: A mob attacked a place of worship of Pakistan’s Ahmadi minority community in Karachi on Friday, killing one man, police and a community spokesperson said.
Ahmadi community spokesperson Amir Mahmood said the mob of 100-200 people beat a 47-year-old owner of a car workshop to death with bricks and sticks.
Mohammad Safdar, superintendent of police for Karachi’s Saddar area, confirmed the death.
Safdar told Reuters that the mob was later dispersed, allowing 15 people trapped inside the building to be rescued. Mahmood said 30 people had been trapped.
Ahmadis are a minority group considered heretical by some orthodox Muslims. Pakistani law forbids them from calling themselves Muslims or using Islamic symbols, and they face violence, discrimination and impediments blocking them from voting in general elections.
Pakistan’s deputy PM to raise security concerns during daylong visit to Afghanistan on Saturday
- Ishaq Dar’s visit comes at a time when Pakistan has blamed Afghan officials for ‘facilitating’ cross-border militancy
- The two countries have tried to resume diplomatic engagements in recent days, with high-level official exchanges
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is set to visit Kabul on Saturday for high-level talks, with security issues topping the agenda amid ongoing tensions between the two neighbors.
The visit comes against the backdrop of a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan, which Islamabad attributes to armed groups operating from Afghan territory.
Pakistan has frequently accused the Taliban-led government in Kabul of providing safe havens to these militants and “facilitating” cross-border attacks, a claim Afghanistan denies.
“At the invitation of interim Afghan Foreign Minister, Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar, will lead a high-level delegation to Kabul tomorrow,” the foreign office announced in a statement.
“The talks will cover entire gamut of Pak-Afghan relationship, focusing on ways and means to deepen cooperation in all areas of mutual interests, including security, trade, connectivity and people-to-people ties,” it added.
The foreign office said Dar will meet Afghan Acting Prime Minister Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund, Acting Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and hold delegation-level talks with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan’s foreign office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan emphasized the importance of the visit.
“The key concern remains centered on security,” he said during his weekly media briefing. “The question of sanctuaries and terrorism has been raised multiple times [with Afghanistan], and we will keep raising it.”
“We want to find an amicable solution to this challenge,” he added.
Since late 2023, Pakistan has initiated the deportation of undocumented immigrants, predominantly Afghan nationals, citing security concerns. The move has strained relations further, with Afghan authorities raising concerns over the expulsions.
Despite these tensions, both countries have resumed diplomatic efforts to improve ties. A Pakistani delegation recently visited Kabul for a Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) meeting, while an Afghan delegation traveled to Islamabad to discuss trade and connectivity initiatives.
Dar’s visit is seen as a continuation of these efforts, aiming to address mutual concerns and explore avenues for cooperation between the two neighboring countries.
Pakistan PM launches tax authority’s performance system amid IMF reform push
- The international lender wants digitization of FBR along with tax base expansion in Pakistan
- The PM was briefed about FBR’s data-driven decision-making to ensure greater efficiency
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday launched a performance management system for Pakistan’s tax authority, urging officials to enhance efficiency and boost revenue collection to help reduce the country’s reliance on external debt, state media reported.
The move is part of broader reforms tied to Pakistan’s $7 billion loan program with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which include overhauling the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) through greater digitization, institutional accountability and tax base expansion.
The FBR, long criticized for inefficiency and underperformance, plays a central role in Pakistan’s fiscal framework and is under pressure to deliver sustained growth in tax revenues.
“If we want to move away from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), we must work hard to increase our revenues,” Sharif said at the launch event, according to the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
He also described it as a long journey, adding more work was required to plug the loopholes in the system.
The newly launched performance system introduces evaluations of FBR officers based on defined metrics. Sharif said similar models would be introduced across other state institutions to promote a culture of accountability.
During the visit, officials also briefed the prime minister on separate reforms underway at the FBR, including the development of a data-driven decision-making framework. That system will pull information from entities like the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) and banking institutions to track payments and asset acquisitions, as part of efforts to align the tax regime with international standards.
Authorities said over 35 additional companies had been added to the tax net as part of ongoing digitization efforts. Tax return forms have also been simplified, and preparations are underway for the nationwide rollout of a digital invoicing system.
Sharif acknowledged a 27 percent growth in FBR revenue over the past year but said more progress was needed to steer Pakistan out of its debt crisis and ensure fiscal stability.
Pakistan’s tax-to-GDP ratio remains among the lowest in the region, limiting the government’s ability to fund public services and increasing dependence on borrowing.
Strengthening the FBR is seen as critical to reducing the budget deficit and restoring investor confidence.
The prime minister also visited FBR’s newly established delivery unit, praising the officers as a “national asset” and expressing hope that the ongoing reforms would lead to a more transparent and effective tax administration.
