"Telecom is the most flourishing sector in Pakistan but there are certain challenges as well which need to be overcome for better and secure future of the industry," said caretaker Federal Minister for Information Technology (IT) Dr Sania Nishtar.
While chairing the 148th World Telecommunication and Information Society Day (WTISD) here on Friday, she said the purpose of the Day was to raise awareness among people about the usage of internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) that could bring together societies and economies, as well as bridge the digital divide. The theme of WTISD for the current year is "ICTs and improving road safety".
The caretaker minister said that "Road Safety" was need of the hour and "we all should be careful in following the rules. Road safety is a global concern not only for public health and injury prevention, but also to improve efficiency in traffic management. The need of the day is to develop state-of-the-art ICT standards for Intelligent Transport Systems and driver safety using a combination of computers, communications, positioning and automation technologies for avoidance of any mishap and optimizing driving performance by eliminating unsafe technology-related distractions."
She was of the opinion that ICT's had altogether changed the life globally. Technological advancements in the field of ICTs had created numerous opportunities for people round the world, said Sania, adding ICTs drive trade, education, health and other social activities could enhance living standards of the citizen.
Caretaker Minister further said that today's economy was knowledge based and telecom sector was playing a very crucial role in economic development, adding that along with various opportunities linked to the sector there were certain challenges as well which needed to addressed.
She further said that role of the government was to provide level playing filed and not to run the entities. Telecom sector had a great potential and the government needed to proactively engage the private sector, she added. SSP Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) Moeed Masood said every year 1.2 million people died of traffic related accidents and another 20-50 million were injured mainly in developing countries around the world. As a result, governments and individuals suffered an estimated dollars 518 billion economic loss globally, he added.
Secretary IT Mohammad Ijaz Mian said that due to energy crisis and law and order situation, all the sectors of the country failed, while it was telecom sector that steered the county out of economic disaster and registered growth. Hamadoun I Touré Secretary General International Telecommunication Union in a video message said ICTs played a catalytic role in creating opportunities for people in every walk of life. "Today, even as we take to the streets, we have the tools at our fingertips to communicate with the world, navigate through dense traffic and find our way in unfamiliar terrain," he added. He further said while those technologies were becoming increasingly ubiquitous, "we must ensure that we use them responsibly and with caution, especially while driving, in order to avoid accidents and injury."
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