Call for separate entrepreneurship policy for women.

LAHORE -- Women entrepreneurs of Pakistan have unanimously called for a separate entrepreneurship policy for women in the country.

The demand came up at an online consultative session, arranged by the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) nationwide exclusively with women entrepreneurs of Pakistan. The session was widely attended by the women entrepreneurs from Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Hazara, Dera Ghazi Khan, Layyah, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Dera Ismael Khan, Multan, Chitral, Sargodha and Bahawalpur including women business leaders Ms. Azra Jamshed, President Women Chamber Peshawar, Ms. Mansoora Shams, President Women Chamber Korangi, Karachi, Ms. Sharmin, President Women Chamber Quetta, Ms. Masooma Sibtain of Women Chamber Hazara, Ms. Farah Bashir of Chitral Chamber, Ms. Hafsa Moeen of Women Chamber, Islamabad and Dr. Shehla Javed Akram, founder of the Women Chamber, Lahore. Dr. Amna Khalifa, a renowned international fiscal specialist addressed the session as keynote speaker.

On behalf of SMEDA Chief Farhan Aziz Khawaja, Ms. Nadia Jehangir Seth, General Manager Policy Planning, Ms. Tania Buttar, Deputy General Manager and Ms. Maryam Anas, Manager hosted the session.

The women entrepreneurs complained that women had no special incentives in taxes to let their business grow. Women's businesses have to bear a burden of over 45 per cent taxes in total including the huge GST, income tax and withholding tax at par with men's enterprises.

On the other hands, regarding access to finance, women entrepreneurs are, rather discouraged. Similarly, with regard to marketing at national and international level very little support is available for women.

The women...