ISLAMABAD, 21 February 2004 — President Pervez Musharraf has said that Pakistan has the potential to become a leading nation in information technology, which will ultimately contribute to economic gains for the country.
He was addressing the opening session of a seminar on e-government organized by software giant Microsoft at the National Defense College in Rawalpindi.
President Musharraf stressed the need to introduce new philosophy and direction to information technology to boost economic development and help Pakistani businesses.
About the role of information technology in society, the president said that his government had devised a policy in 1999 to encourage acquiring experience with information technology as part of education, which will help eradicate unemployment and poverty.
Elaborating on the achievements in the IT sector, he said that Internet facilities had been increased from 87 cities to 1,800 cities and towns of the country, fiber optic technology from 29 to 420 cities and towns and the establishment of seven IT universities had brought revolutionary changes in this field.
President Musharraf urged that information technology should be used at all levels to disseminate information quickly to aid effective decisionmaking, enhance efficiency and benefit the public.
He said that good governance could be attained in accountability and revenue collection. Transparency of function can also be attained by the use of information technology, he added.
President Musharraf commended and welcomed local Microsoft Vice President Emre Berkins for showing interest in promoting information technology in Pakistan.
Earlier, Berkins emphasized the importance of IT and said it could bring rapid economic progress to Pakistan.
He appreciated the steps taken by the government for the promotion of information technology.
Federal ministers, technocrats, and a large number of senior civil and military officials participated in the seminar.
Palestinian FM to Visit Pakistan on Three-Day Official Visit
Palestinian Foreign Minister Farouk Kaddoumi is due to arrive here tomorrow on a three-day official visit, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said yesterday.
Kaddoumi, who has been invited by his Pakistani counterpart, Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri, would be accompanied by a delegation of senior Palestinian officials, the spokesman said in a statement yesterday.
“The people of Pakistan and Palestine have a history of close brotherly relations,” he said.“Pakistan has consistently and strongly supported the Palestinian people’s quest for emancipation and exercise of their inherent right to self-determination.”
Over the past few decades, Pakistan has extended material assistance and support to the Palestinian people, which has reinforced the bilateral relationship, the spokesman said.
