Amjad Hadi Yousafzai
PESHAWAR : Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) leader and Businessmen Forum leader Ghazanfar Bilour has said that the social and business services of his late mother, Fateh Ilyas Bilour, are known to everyone. He said that encouraging women to enter the business sector and empowering them economically in a province like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was never an easy task. His mother worked practically for years toward this objective, and hundreds of women continue to benefit from her efforts.
Reacting to the demand by Saima Mehboob to confer Presidential Awards on Fateh Ilyas Bilour and other social and businesswomen of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ghazanfar Bilour said he welcomed those who were raising their voices for recognition of the services of his mother and other women. However, he said that he would never personally recommend his mother for a Presidential Award or ask any government institution to grant her such an honour.
He said, “Three members of my family sacrificed their lives for this soil, so why would I need to ask for an award myself?” He added that honour and recognition should not be sought; rather, it should be the responsibility of the relevant institutions and society to acknowledge the services of individuals.
Ghazanfar Bilour said one of Fateh Ilyas Bilour’s major achievements was encouraging women to enter the business arena at a time when women’s participation in business was considerably more difficult in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa than it is today. She created opportunities for women, connected them with one another and provided them with a practical platform to advance their business activities.
He said the establishment of the Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry was also one of his mother’s important initiatives, and today hundreds of women are associated with the platform. He said it had become a means of providing women with opportunities for economic independence, business development and establishing their own identities.
Ghazanfar Bilour said his late father, Ilyas Bilour, and his mother, Fateh Ilyas Bilour, both wanted to see women empowered. Throughout their lives, his parents worked for the economic and social advancement of women, and their efforts were not limited to any particular period or institution but represented a broader vision and mission.
He said, “My father and mother worked for years to empower women, and now I am carrying forward that responsibility.” He said continuing his parents’ mission was itself an honour for him and that meaningful social change could only come when women were economically strong and independent.
He said women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had made significant contributions in business, education, social welfare and various other fields, but there was a need to highlight their services at the national level. If the state recognises the services of any woman through a Presidential Award, it would not only honour that individual but also encourage women across the province.
FPCCI leader and Businessmen Forum leader Ghazanfar Bilour thanked Saima Mehboob and all those who were raising their voices for national recognition of the services of Fateh Ilyas Bilour and other women. He said such voices were, in fact, a tribute to women who had created pathways in difficult circumstances and opened opportunities for future generations.
He reiterated his commitment to continuing his parents’ mission and playing his role in economically empowering women and creating more opportunities for them to move forward in the business sector.
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