PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Social Welfare Department is planning to set up training centres so that to teach handmade carpet weaving to deserving people, particularly women, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups.
The proposed centres would provide training in carpet making and enable trainees to use the skill either at home or through facilities to earn a respectable livelihood. The initiative is also intended to shift the department’s focus from short-term assistance towards skills development, self-reliance and long-term economic empowerment.
The proposal was discussed at a meeting chaired by Adviser to the Chief Minister on Social Welfare, Special Education and Women Empowerment Malik Liaqat Ali Khan. Social Welfare Secretary Sharif Hussain, UNDP representatives Ejaz and Ibrahim, Deputy Director Merged Districts Ubaidur Rehman, Assistant Director Abrar Ahmed and Dr Mahboobur Rehman attended the meeting.
The participants discussed the proposed training centres, the methods to be adopted for teaching carpet weaving and ways to ensure that people receiving the training could eventually use their skills to earn an income. The proposed initiative also comes against the backdrop of KP’s longstanding association with handmade carpet production.
The Peshawar carpet cluster is regarded as one of the prominent centres for hand-knotted carpet manufacturing in Pakistan, where skilled artisans, workshops and exporters involved in producing traditional designs. The province’s carpet sector includes products based on traditional Bokhara, Chobi and Persian patterns that have demand in international markets.
Carpet weaving has also previously been used as a livelihood-generation activity for women in the province. A programme supported by the Social Welfare Department and UNDP trained women from the merged districts in carpet weaving and entrepreneurship, providing them with an opportunity to develop home-based businesses. There have also been efforts to revive traditional carpet weaving and connect artisans with markets.
A recent livelihood project in KP trained families in advanced weaving techniques and facilitated direct market linkages, highlighting the potential of carpet making to support household incomes while preserving traditional craftsmanship.
The provincial Social Welfare Department already operates industrial training centres across KP that provide free vocational training in areas including sewing, knitting, embroidery, cooking and beautician skills.
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