PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has revived the Pakistan Arts and Crafts Gallery, a provincial owned centre for the sale, marketing exhibition and promotion of handicrafts at Islamabad.
This Gallery was previously established under Small Industries Development Board at the federal capital, but later on in 2015, it was taken from the board while in 2022, it was once again come in the ownership of the board.
As per the directives of Caretaker Minister for Industries, Commerce and Newly Merged Districts Affairs, Dr. Aamer Abdullah, the same building which is located in the heart of Islamabad in a populist place of Jinnah Super Market, has fully renovated and revived in a short time. Now it has become a full-pledged handicraft bazaar wherein, the province and country wide products have been showcased for sale, marketing and promotion.
Similarly, an e-portal has also been established for e-commerce, connecting the Pakistan Arts and Crafts Gallery to the online system for marketing, display and sale of homemade handicraft of the province.
In collaboration with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board, it has now been made possible that access to products and handicrafts of the province will be possible online through the facility of e-portal, which will help in the sale, demand and marketing of province based indigenous arts and crafts products.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Caretaker Minister for Industries Commerce, Technical Education and Newly Merged Districts Affairs, Dr. Amer Abdullah officially inaugurated the online portal of Pakistan Arts and Crafts Gallery.
Managing Director (MD) SIDB Ghazanfar Ali, other officials of the board, IT board representatives, journalists and other relevant visitors were also present , on the occasion.
Addressing on the occasion, the provincial minister termed the project of Arts and Crafts Gallery and its services available online as a major success and appreciated the efforts of the entire team of SIDB for this initiative.
He said that those who earn halal sustenance through their hands and skills are the friends of Allah and this centre will be an important way for the development of the business of these people.
He appreciated the recovery of the gallery building for its original purpose and putting it to useful use. He said that the development of the gallery website and portal equipped with online marketing and sale facility is an important project which will prove to be very helpful in the promotion of cultural goods of our province.
Speaking at the event, SIDB MD Ghazanfar Ali said that in today’s era, people are attracted towards art, crafts and hand-made goods from luxury and mechanized facilities and this gallery will become a resource to highlight our cultural heritage across the world.
He said that if this centre is a mirror of economic development on the one hand, then on the other hand, the products displayed in it will become a reason for the economic well-being of the skilled women and men.
At the end of the ceremony, the caretaker minister appreciated the work of the talented people from different folds and distributed shields among them. Officials of business community of Islamabad also specially participated on this occasion.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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