Final preparations: Eid festivities attract residents from across the city

Women Business Development Centre organises shopping carnival on University Road.

PESHAWAR: A two-day Eid carnival held at the Women Business Development Centre (WBDC) on University Road attracted large crowds from around the city on Thursday.

The mela comprised of different food stalls, a variety of designer clothing and footwear stalls, artificial jewellery stalls and face painting booths, among others.

The Women Business Development Centre is a project initiated by the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA) and Ministry of Industry and Production to assist women of the province with their businesses and entrepreneurship skills. Products created and designed by women from SMEDA were also on display at the festival.



“Besides training women entrepreneurs of K-P, the Women Business Development Centre has also been organising such activities for the last three years,” said Nabeela Safdar, a WBDC project manager. She added the purpose of holding such events was also to provide a family oriented environment for women shoppers in the city.

Safdar urged men to support their women family members in this regard and promote such activities in the city. The festivities were set to continue till late night on the lush green ground of Peshawar Services Club.

Imran Khattak, the event’s organiser, said instrumental music being played by local musicians had also attracted a great number of families to the event.

Besides this, several other shopping festivals were held at the Pearl Continental Hotel’s Dean Trade Center. The venue provided a safe atmosphere free from traffic jams and parking problems.

“In other markets of Peshawar, there is not only a lack of parking facilities but the prices are very high,” said Sana Naz Khan. She complained high prices had made products fall outside the purchasing power of low and middle income families. Khan appreciated the efforts of the WBDC for regularly arranging such exhibitions for shoppers. She said most of the demand was for readymade clothes and bangles, with sales continuing late into the night.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 9^th, 2013.