Planning, Development, Reforms & Statistics Minister Khusro Bakhtiar on Monday said the government was committed to extend high speed Internet services of 3G and 4G to Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu & Kashmir regions to improve land-based communications.
The minister said this in a meeting with Special Communications Organisation (SCO) Director General (DG) Major General Ali Farhan, who called on him.
China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Project Director Hassan Daud and senior officials of the ministry were also present in the meeting.
The minister stated that steps will be taken to extend broadband services to GB and Azad Jammu & Kashmir regions including far flung areas to enhance connectivity. In order to further integrate people of these regions with mainland Pakistan, it is imperative that they be provided communications and Information Technology facilities at par with the rest of Pakistan.
“The extension of these services will also help promote industry and tourism in these areas,” added the minister.
During the meeting, the SCO DG, apprised the minister about work of the organisation including laying of 820 kilometre optical fiber cable from Khunjrab to Rawalpindi under CPEC framework in Phase 1. He also briefed the minister on proposed phase-II of the project.
Khusro Bakhtiar says steps will be taken to extend broadband services to Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu & Kashmir including far flung areas to enhance connectivity
During another meeting, the minister said that uplift of the less developed regions would be ensured through Pakistan’s regional equalisation development plan. He expressed these views in a meeting with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Finance Minister Taimur Salim Khan Jhagra. Issues of projects in KP and future strategies for development were discussed in the meeting.
Makhdum Khusro Bakhtiar said that next budget of 2019-2020 would be a depiction of federal and provincial government’s joint strategies for development. He said all out efforts would be made to ensure implementation of Pakistan’s regional equalisation development plan.
“Steps would be taken to bring less developed areas of Southern KP, Rural Sindh, Southern Punjab and Balochistan at par with urban centres of Pakistan,” the minister highlighted.
In another meeting, the minister said that providing clean drinking water to major urban cities would be made a part of development strategy to address the needs of the people in view of fast urban growth. He further stated that the government was committed to accord priority to major urban transport projects of Karachi to cater the public transport requirements of the cosmopolitan city.
The minister was chairing a meeting on review of foreign funded projects. Adviser to Prime Minister on Institutional Reforms Dr Ishrat Hussain, Planning Secretary Zafar Hassan and senior officials of the ministry were also present in the meeting. The minister said that Karachi is a major commercial hub of the country and a vital engine of growth. He called for according priority to major transport projects of the city including Karachi Sustainable Bus Rapid Transit, Red Transit, Green Line and Karachi Circular Railway. He further stated that the government is aware that major urban centres like Karachi and Quetta are facing issues of safe drinking water as well as sewerage treatment and disposal adding that measures will be taken to ensure improved drinking water availability.
Published in Daily Times, January 29th 2019.
