Women entrepreneurs shine at special Ramadan bazaar in Pakistani capital 

ISLAMABAD: Women entrepreneurs have created a buzz at a three-day Ramadan bazaar being held in Pakistan’s federal capital of Islamabad, arriving from all corners of the country to sell handmade clothing, bags, jewelry and other festive items.

The “Empower Women, Empower Nation” bazaar has been organized by the Rawalpindi Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RWCCI), which invited woman entrepreneurs from all over Pakistan to display and sell products from their respective regions.

Organized outside the city’s Centaurus Mall, the special bazaar will run from April 1-3 and features more than 30 stalls.

“We have come from Multan to Islamabad because we always get a very good response from Islamabad,” Haseena Begum, an entrepreneur selling handmade embroidered bags, told Arab News as she attended to customers visiting her stall.

“We also attract good customers from Islamabad for online [shopping] and we want to be called [into events] like this so that our handmade work sells out here.”

RWCCI President Sabohi Hussain said the primary objective of the event was to promote women entrepreneurs who operated from home.

“These ladies belong to remote areas. Some of them are from Multan, Gilgit, Hunza, and other remote areas,” she told Arab News. “We are promoting them, we are guiding them, we are teaching them, training them for international and national exhibitions.”

Rubab Ghazanfar, an entrepreneur from the Dera Ghazi Khan district who was selling a range of semi-stitched, unstitched and stitched garments, said all her clothes were handmade. 

“These events are much appreciated for the opportunity they provide us,” she told Arab News. “In this holy month of Ramadan, may Allah grant us all success here.”

Ayesha Ikhlas from Rawalpindi said she was excited about the opportunity to exhibit her new clothing and cosmetics line right outside a major mall in Islamabad.

“It is a good opportunity for those who have just launched new businesses, they can start their business in a good way here,” she told Arab News.

Sadia Hashmi, a visitor, said all handmade items at the bazaar were “very lovely,” especially the jewelry, and being sold at reasonable prices. 

“I am standing at a stall that has jewelry which is designed by the woman herself,” she said. “It is beautifully designed and I like it very much.”