Key Takeaways
- Pakistan’s first AI-powered fashion show showcased designs by women entrepreneurs.
- Ba-Ikhtiar, PTCL’s initiative, helps women build livelihoods through technology and skills.
- The programme has expanded to cover 22 districts and includes various craft areas.
PTCL’s Ba-Ikhtiar initiative recently hosted Pakistan’s first-ever AI-powered fashion show, highlighting the potential of technology in empowering women. The event, which took place in Islamabad, featured AI-generated models wearing intricate, colourful designs created by women entrepreneurs.
The fashion show was part of the graduation ceremony for the first cohort of Ba-Ikhtiar, an initiative aimed at helping women build livelihoods through technology, skills, and access to opportunity. The programme began in Haripur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with 100 young women who already possessed skills in stitching and embroidery but lacked market access and economic opportunities.
PTCL, in partnership with the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF), combined vocational skills with digital literacy, entrepreneurship, financial awareness, and online market linkages. This approach allowed the women to explore e-commerce and build businesses around their craft, taking their work beyond local markets and communities.
Some participants showcased their work at international events such as GITEX Global in Dubai and Lok Mela, giving their skills global visibility. The success of the Haripur experience led to the expansion of Ba-Ikhtiar, which now covers 22 districts and aims to reach 2,100 women.
The initiative has diversified its focus, moving beyond stitching and embroidery to include pottery, handicrafts, food preservation, online tutoring, and organic cosmetics. This expansion reflects PTCL’s broader vision of using technology and connectivity to contribute to a more inclusive digital economy.
Ba-Ikhtiar demonstrates that technology can amplify existing talent. Women do not need to become technology experts to benefit from innovation; they need access to tools, knowledge, and platforms that can help their abilities reach further. The programme’s success lies in its ability to connect women to knowledge, markets, financial services, and opportunities.
For PTCL, the larger purpose of connectivity is not just to connect people but to enable them to participate actively in the digital economy. Ba-Ikhtiar reflects PTCL’s commitment to using its technology and connectivity capabilities to empower women as entrepreneurs, creators, and active participants in shaping the future.
