Author: dailybalochistantimes.com

Islamabad: Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema on Friday that the government will take all necessary measures to ensure the availability of affordable, high-speed internet services across the country, enabling citizens to participate fully in the digital economy.

The minister chaired a meeting on the National Connectivity Plan, joined by the Minister for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja and senior officials, said a press release.

The meeting primarily focused on expanding access to high-speed internet in villages, remote areas, and small towns to bridge the digital divide and unlock new economic opportunities.

The minister said the government’s top priority is to facilitate freelancers, e-commerce entrepreneurs, and other digital professionals living in remote regions who continue to face challenges due to slow and unreliable internet connectivity.

The session also underscored the vital role of next-generation fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) networks and 5G infrastructure in driving national economic growth, creating employment opportunities, and fostering nationwide digital inclusion.

Highlighting the momentum of Pakistan’s digital development, officials noted that FTTH subscriptions have grown steadily to 2.8 million, supported by a robust fiber footprint of 234,000 kilometers, 5.1 million house passes, and six operational submarine cables.

To build upon this progress, Federal Minister Ahad Cheema outlined ambitious national targets under the plan, including expanding infrastructure to 10 million house passes, raising average fixed broadband download speeds to 85 Mbps, securing a place among the world’s top 50 countries for broadband performance, and increasing tower fiberization to 60 percent.

The meeting placed strong emphasis on improving digital accessibility and affordability for all citizens. In a key decision aimed at supporting consumers, participants considered targeted tax relief for internet users in remote areas to expand digital participation.

Additional strategic reforms discussed included abolishing right-of-way fees, launching a single-window approval portal, introducing district-level licensing, and making fixed broadband connectivity mandatory across public institutions, schools, and health facilities.

Emphasizing the government’s commitment to effective implementation, Federal Minister Ahad Cheema said the National Connectivity Plan will be finalized expeditiously through comprehensive stakeholder consultation.

He further stressed that a structured and sequenced approach, prioritizing essential regulatory reforms, enforcing clear operator obligations, and linking financial support to verified performance milestones, will be critical to accelerating nationwide fiber deployment while safeguarding public resources and ensuring long-term commercial viabilit

Islamabad: Federal Minister for Communications, Abdul Aleem Khan, has strongly reiterated that the creation of new administrative provinces is the ultimate key to strengthening democracy, revitalizing the economy, and delivering effective governance in Pakistan.

Reacting to the statement made yesterday by Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi-who highlighted the urgent need for structural governance reforms and the establishment of new administrative units-Minister Abdul Aleem Khan emphasized that he has long advocated for this vital national requirement to address Pakistan’s rapidly growing population and complex administrative challenges.

Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan reaffirmed his proposed framework to reorganize Pakistan’s existing four provinces-Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan-into three provinces (administrative units) each, named North, Central, and South. He underscored that this strategic reorganization will fully preserve the historic and cultural identities of all regions without altering existing provincial names, while providing a permanent and sustainable solution to longstanding public grievances.

Addressing the daily hardships faced by ordinary citizens, the Federal Minister pointed out that people are currently forced to undertake long, exhausting, and expensive journeys covering hundreds of kilometers just to reach provincial capitals for minor administrative or legal matters.

Reorganizing the administrative setup will bring public offices directly to the citizens’ doorsteps, drastically streamlining public service delivery. The Minister noted that while decentralization may challenge entrenched political monopolies or centralized mindsets, Pakistan is a democratic republic where autocracy has no place.

Under this proposed administrative model, key state institutions-including the offices of the Chief Secretary, Inspector General of Police, and the High Courts-will be able to deliver immediate, efficient, and accountable justice and administration within manageable jurisdictions.

Transitioning the debate on new provinces from political slogans to concrete action will not divide the nation; rather, it will strengthen national unity, ensure equitable distribution of resources, and foster balanced development across every corner of Pakistan.

Islamabad: Deputy Chairman of the Senate, Syedaal Khan Nasar, said on Friday that the services rendered by the Kashmiri community residing in Balochistan for the province’s development and prosperity were invaluable and deserve due recognition.

He reaffirmed that every possible effort would be made to address the issues faced by the Kashmiri community, emphasising that Balochistan was the shared home of all its people and that its progress and prosperity required collective efforts.

He expressed these views while meeting with various delegations in Quetta, including representatives of the Kashmiri community residing in Balochistan, said a message received here.

The delegations included Advocate Tariq Butt, Javed Ahmed Khan, Jahangir Khan Khuroti, Sameera Khan, Mir Zaman Lehri, Mir Liaquat, Liaquat Rajput, and others.

During the meetings, discussions were held on the country’s overall political situation, ongoing federally funded development projects in Balochistan, and other matters of public importance.

The delegations apprised the Deputy Chairman Senate in detail of the issues being faced by the local population, upon which he assured them that all possible measures would be taken to resolve their concerns.

Deputy Chairman, Senate Syedaal Khan Nasar reiterated that Pakistan had consistently extended its unwavering support for the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people and had always strongly condemned the atrocities committed against them by India. He affirmed that Pakistan would continue to stand firmly with the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

He further stated that the Kashmiri community had been living in Balochistan for centuries in an atmosphere of brotherhood and harmony, making significant contributions to the province’s socio-economic development.

He emphasised that Balochistan belonged to all communities residing in the province and that safeguarding its development and prosperity was a shared responsibility.

He assured that every possible effort would be made to address the issues faced by Kashmiris living in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan. During the meeting, the Deputy Chairman Senate’s Coordinators briefed him on their performance over the past month and provided a detailed overview of the public issues brought to their attention across the province.

Syedaal Khan Nasar said that Coordinators had been appointed to maintain close contact with the people, identify their problems, and communicate them directly to him so that practical and timely measures could be taken for their resolution.

He further stated that President Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif attached special importance to the development of Balochistan and had allocated substantial funds in the federal budget for development projects in the province.

He expressed confidence that the completion of these projects would significantly improve the provision of essential public services and enhance the quality of life of the people.

The Deputy Chairman Senate concluded by assuring the Coordinators and the visiting delegations that every possible step would be taken to resolve the issues they had highlighted.

Islamabad: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Zonal Office in Lahore, in close collaboration with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Corporate Crime Circle (CCC) Gujrat, conducted a crackdown against illegal internet service providers in District Gujrat.

Two successful raids were carried out at Habib Plaza, Karianwala, District Gujrat, and Prime Communication, Main GT Road, Sarai Alamgir, opposite Shan Bakers, District Gujrat. The service providers had been operating without valid licenses from PTA, said a news release.

The first raid was conducted at an operational setup located at Habib Plaza, Karianwala, which was being used to provide internet services through fiber optic and point-to-point (P2P) links in the Karianwala area of District Gujrat. During the raid, one individual was arrested, and relevant equipment was confiscated from the site, including one Cloud Switch Router (MikroTik), three OLTs, four GPON ONUs, and one Radius Server.

The second setup was dismantled in the Sarai Alamgir area of District Gujrat. During the raid, one person was arrested, and relevant equipment was confiscated from the site, including two switches (CISCO and GRANDSTREAM), five OLTs, four GPON ONUs, one Radius Server, and one invoice slip.

The successful efforts against illegal internet service providers can be attributed to PTA’s unwavering commitment, continuous monitoring, and persistent efforts to curb illegal internet services. These actions are crucial in curtailing losses to the national exchequer.

PTA urges the public to avail telecom services only from PTA-licensed operators to avoid sudden discontinuation of services. The list of licensed operators is available on the PTA website: www.pta.gov.pk.