Separate markets for women demanded

Islamabad : Islamabad Women's Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IWCCI) on Tuesday demanded display centers and separate markets for women in all the major cities of the country.

Separate markets with a facility for women entrepreneurs to get business space on affordable price will empower them while it will also help women customers, it said.

Women artisans and those running small businesses cannot afford to buy or rent shops in commercial areas which are being exploited by the middlemen, said Samina Fazil, founder President IWCCI.

She said that the government has established Sunday Bazars across the country while flower shops have been made in many sectors of Islamabad, therefore, shopping areas dedicated for women can also be set up without too much effort.

She said that IWCCI has stopped holding annual expos because the expenses were unbearable therefore the government can consider providing space on discounted rates so that thousands of women can get some benefit.

Samina Fazil said that government has launched the operation against encroachments but those who have made commercial buildings on plots allocated for cinemas and swimming pools were spared. The plazas constructed on sites of cinemas and swimming pools should be demolished.