PTA Organizes "Pakistan ICT Indicators Symposium"

ISLAMABAD,(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th july,2016) :Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom (MoIT) and International Telecommunication Union (ITU) jointly organized 'Pakistan ICT Indicators Symposium' under the theme of "Multi-stakeholder Engagement to Highlight the need of ICT Data Reporting". The Chief guest of the event was Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunications Anusha Rehman Khan and Secretary, MOIT Rizwan Bashir Khan was the guest. Chairman PTA, Dr.

Syed Ismail Shah, Member (HRD), MoIT Tahir Mushtaq, Senior Advisor ITU Asia-Pacific Sameer Sharma. On this occasion, Anusha Rehman Khan said that ICTs indicators are related to newly formulated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

"We all know SDGs of the United Nations (UN) represent a renewed commitment of the 193 country's leaders to ending poverty, combat hunger, disease, promote social justice and human dignity" she said. The minister said, it is imperative to mention that ICT indicators are the key enablers to achieve multiple SDGs.

ICT indicators can also help monitor achievements in other areas included in the SDGs, such as poverty reduction, education and economic growth, she said. The minister,"We all need to take a proactive approach to develop a comprehensive mechanism to collect all relevant ICT data.

" The minister said, Pakistan has shown tremendous growth in telecom sector over the last few years and it has also achieved some exceptional milestones. Similarly, on the policy front, finalization and approval of a comprehensive Telecommunication Policy is yet another milestone achieved, she further added.

Earlier, addressing the event Secretary, MOIT said the government is committed to enhance the quality of manpower in the ICT sector. "We will continue to provide the necessary support to the industry|" he added.

He said, "we need the effort and close cooperation from all of us including operators, equipment manufacturers and content providers for the contribution of ICT sector in GDP." He appreciated the efforts of PTA towards proliferation of ICT sector of the country.

He further said that local content and applications have generated new forms of consumption and attracted large number of consumers. Chairman PTA said in his welcome address that to take advantage of the rapidly changing society,governments need to monitor and benchmark progress in order to design and review national policies and strategies.