Category: Islamabad

Islamabad: Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication , Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Wednesday said that Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) was ensuring internet speed, quality standards and addressing complaints of customers timely.

Responding to a question answer in of Senators Muhammad Aslam Abro and Anusha Rehman Ahmed Khan in Senate, the minister said that PTA has conveyed that 1015 complaints had been received on fault and distribution in internet services from July 1 to Dec 31, 2024.

She further said that the measures put in a place to bring improvement in network services to facilitate the customers.

She said that IT export was increasing every passing day and internet users in Pakistan were also increasing in the country.

Shaza Fatima informed that foreign investors were directly investing in IT sector to further improve and streamline the system, adding that the present government was providing conducive environment to them.

She said that in a global landscape, IT spectrum was in impact growth through efforts and strategies.

Answering to a question, the minister said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had brought political instability in the country but the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was taking gigantic measures to bring economic stability and growth.

Islamabad: Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday chaired a meeting of the National AI Task Force, which brought together top government officials, industry leaders and experts.

The meeting discussed the AI Implementation Roadmap that has been meticulously devised through the collaborative efforts of the National Center of Artificial Intelligence (NCAI) and the taskforce, a news release said.

This strategic initiative is designed to enhance productivity, drive innovation, and ensure the country's competitiveness in the global arena.

Ahsan Iqbal emphasized the critical importance of Artificial Intelligence in driving Pakistan's economic growth and global competitiveness.

He commended NCAI for its leadership in establishing a robust AI ecosystem within the country, breaking down silos and integrating AI technologies across multiple sectors.

The minister recognized NCAI's pivotal role in leveraging its expertise, existing centers and the collective capabilities of industry partners to advance AI development in Pakistan.

He stressed that AI implementation was expected to accelerate economic growth, foster innovation, create new job opportunities and improve efficiency across sectors such as judiciary, healthcare, manufacturing, education, energy, climate change and defense.

He also highlighted the 'Uraan Pakistan' initiative launched by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which aims to leverage AI for export growth, sustainable development and advancing the 5Es-Enhancing exports, accelerating digital transformation, implementing sustainable practices, developing efficient energy solutions and promoting social justice.

These priorities will drive Pakistan's future prosperity and ensure the equitable distribution of benefits across society.

The minister emphasized that AI was central to Pakistan's future competitiveness on the global stage, and swift action was needed to capitalize on the opportunities AI presented.

Based on the input and recommendations of the Task Force, the team presented a comprehensive AI Implementation Plan to guide the nation's adoption of AI across various sectors.

The plan emphasizes AI education and skill development, introducing programs to promote AI literacy from the school to university levels, alongside vocational training initiatives and scholarships.

The taskforce also outlined strategies to accelerate AI research and development through the establishment of Technology Parks and increased funding for AI innovation.

This approach would create a thriving AI ecosystem that ensures Pakistan remains at the forefront of technological advancement.

A central component of the plan is the establishment of the National AI Office, which would be led by NCAI, serving as the core authority for AI governance, policymaking, and regulation, overseeing all AI projects to ensure alignment with national objectives and international best practices.

Additionally, AI Liaison Offices would be established in key regions to facilitate localized implementation, addressing the specific needs of each area.

The taskforce outlined a clear, actionable roadmap, with immediate milestones.

As part of the first phase, the Ministry of Planning would facilitate the creation of a detailed three-month action plan, including the organization of 12 sector-specific workshops.

These workshops would bring together government officials, industry leaders, and representatives from academia and civil society to discuss AI integration into each sector, evaluate existing infrastructure, and develop strategies to address challenges in AI adoption.

The workshops would focus on sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, education, manufacturing, law, energy and climate change.

Ahsan Iqbal emphasized the need for immediate action, stressing that the workshops and action plans must be completed within the next three months to ensure the swift integration of AI across the country.

The Ministry of Information Technology (MoIT), along with provincial governments, would provide critical infrastructure and technical support to enable these initiatives.

The minister Ahsan highlighted the importance of collaboration across government bodies and private sectors.

He called for a holistic approach to AI integration that not only advanced technological development but also considered the social, ethical, and environmental impacts of AI.

In the coming months, the taskforce would engage in global partnerships to facilitate knowledge exchange and align Pakistan's AI policies with international best practices. The creation of AI tech parks will support startups and innovations, fostering the commercialization of AI solutions.

Ahsan Iqbal stressed that the transition from planning to execution was critical for success, calling for regular updates and progress reviews to ensure the country stays on course to meet its AI objectives.

The immediate focus would be on developing a solid AI infrastructure, cultivating a skilled workforce, and deploying AI-driven solutions across essential sectors to create measurable impact.

United nations: Pakistan called for debt relief and restructuring as part of a broader effort to address climate change and economic distress at a solemn ceremony marking the handover by Uganda of the Chairmanship of Group of 77 and China to Iraq on Monday.

"We are in a moment where inequality among and within countries is increasing, and we see 800 million plus people living in extreme poverty," said Ambassador Munir Munir who twice led the G-77, an alliance of developing countries established on 15 June 15 1964. The group derives its name from the 77 original signatories, although it now has 134 members.

G-77 is the largest intergovernmental coalition of developing countries at the United Nations, which provides the means for the countries of the South to articulate and promote their collective economic interests and enhance their joint negotiating capacity on all major international economic issues within the UN system, and promote South-South cooperation for development.

Ambassador Akram served as chairman of the group in 2007 and 2021 during his distinguished service at the United Nations.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Pakistan envoy added, "We are living in a time when the climate catastrophe visits the developing as well as the developed countries. And perhaps, this is awakening, finally, the realization that climate change is an existential challenge for the entire planet."

Accepting G-77's presidency on behalf of Iraq from Uganda, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein highlighted his priorities for the challenging year.

'We will work on enhancing collective efforts to deal with the effects of climate change on developing countries, and to ensure international support to implement climate adaptation changes, and to support climate financing for developing countries to adapt with climate change and the use of renewable and sustainable energy, and the protection of national resources and dealing with desertification and protecting biodiversity that many Member States are affected by, ' he said.

At the outset, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres underscored the importance of G-77 and said, '2025 must be the year of keeping promises to developing countries.'

In his remarks, Ambassador Akram, the top Pakistani diplomat at the UN, extended Pakistan's congratulations to Iraq, expressing full support for its leadership of G-77.

He said that provision of development finance, revival of trade as an engine for growth and alignment of the technology regime with SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) and climate targets were paramount priorities for the developing countries.

There was a massive gap of $4.3 trillion and $1.5 trillion in financing SDGs and climate change action, respectively, it was pointed out.

The countries of Global South, he said, needed financial assistance and scaling up of grant and concessional financing to implement commitments on ODA (Official Development Assistance), urgent action on debt relief and restructuring, and re-channelling of 50% of the 2021 allocation of SDRs (Special Drawing rights)

Identifying trade as a game-changer for countries to join the developed world, Ambassador Akram called for opening 'new doors of access for export of developing countries' while preparing for 'trade protectionism' at the same time.

He called for aligning the technology regime with the SDGs and climate goals, saying, "Access to new and emerging technologies must be non-non-discriminatory, especial technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, which is going to propel the global economy and indeed international relations."

The Pakistani envoy demanded implementation of the many commitments and promises made to the developing countries in UN's 2030 Agenda, the Addis Ababa plan, the SDG Summit and last September's Pact for the Future.

'These commitments cannot just remain promises. They have to be translated into action, and that is going to be our task at the Fourth FFD Conference,' he said.

Addressing the membership, Guterres, the UN chief, also said, 'we are living through a period of devastating conflicts and violence from Gaza to the wider Middle East, to the Sahel, to Ukraine and beyond; a period of climate disasters that has bettered many of your countries with deadly heatwaves, melting glaciers, droughts, rising seas, floods and storms, while constraining already limited fiscal space and realizing development gains; a period in which the Sustainable Development Goals and the futures of millions of people around the world hang in the balance.'

He said, 'for too long, in too many ways, developing countries have been handed a raw deal; a raw deal on finance, in which development is deferred time and again by a lack of adequate and affordable finance and grinding cycles of debt service. A raw deal on climate support, with countries denied the resources required to build resilience and the world's climate catastrophe they did little to cause; and a raw deal on representation at key decision-making bodies, from the global financial architecture to the governance of ground breaking technology, to the UN Security Council itself.'

The Secretary-General said efforts must be intensified in 2025 'to make the Sustainable Development Goals a reality for all people in all places; to put an end to poverty and hunger, transform education and create jobs, and provide equitable and the affordable access to energy, technology, finance and markets, essential elements for developing countries to prosper; and to ensure developing countries can access the financial resources required to fuel development.

Islamabad: The Anti-Rape Special Committee has conducted a comprehensive stocktake of the implementation of the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act, 2021 at the Ministry of Law and Justice.

Chaired by Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq, the meeting included members of the Special Committee along with participants from PEMRA, NADRA, National Police Bureau (NPB), provincial Home Departments, and other relevant stakeholders.

The session reviewed the progress on three key topics pertaining to the deployment of the National Sex Offender's Register, performance of specialized structures to support survivors of sexual violence and gender-based crimes, and policy considerations to improve implementation of the Act.

The National Police Bureau updated the participants on the successful installation of hardware for the Sex Offenders Register (SOR) at the Gender Crime Cell at NPB, a key milestone in the operationalization of the SOR which will help support investigation and prosecution in sexual violence cases.

The NPB highlighted that data for 94% of eligible entries from 1st January to 30th November 2024 had been collected and was pending entry into the SOR following updates to the digital software. NADRA agreed to provide the necessary technical support so that entries into the SOR can be ensured at the earliest.

Data presented by the Ministry of Law and Justice showed key improvements across the implementation of the Anti-Rape Act, 2021 specifically with regards to availability of Anti-Rape Crisis Cells (ARCCs) and their utilization. Notable improvements were observed in Punjab and Islamabad where referral of cases of serious sexual violence to ARCCs had increased, ensuring better support services for survivors.

Provincial Home Departments committed to ensuring further improvements towards addressing the challenges highlighted during the session and improving coordination between police and ARCCs so that survivors of sexual violence can be better supported.

The Committee also considered policy proposals presented by Ms. Zainab Mustafa, Community Protection Advisor at UPSCALE and member of the Special Committee, for improvements to Pakistan's legal framework to support broader sex offender management and reducing reoffending. The policy recommendations included improvements to the existing Sex Offenders Register's framework to include offenders convicted in other jurisdictions before travelling to Pakistan, strengthening monitoring requirements for convicted offenders, and improving risk assessment and restrictions on offenders after release from prison. These measures will help minimize the risk to society from reoffending in sexual violence cases. Participants in the meeting appreciated the data-driven policy recommendations and agreed to provide feedback in the next consultation session.

The Chairperson concluded the session by thanking participants for their input for ensuring a more comprehensive and effective response to sexual violence in Pakistan.

She further highlighted that despite the progress achieved so far, coordinated and sustained effort was required by all the stakeholders to address lacunas that exist and ensure protection for vulnerable members of society.

Islamabad: His Excellency, Minister of Education, Culture, and Higher Education of Somalia, Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir, an alumnus of the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), alongwith Somali Ambassador H.E. Sheikh Noor Mohamed Hassan visited the university.

Minister Abdulkadir toured the Faculty of Shariah and Law, where he once studied.

He met with the faculty there and shared his old memories. In the management block auditorium, he met with Somali students to encourage them in their academic pursuits.

Meanwhile, he also held a meeting with the IIUI President, discussing avenues for collaboration in education and research.

The delegation emphasized the historic ties between Somalia and IIUI, underscoring the university's role in building global academic connections.

IIUI President said, "Somali students have great potential, and IIUI's doors will always be open to welcoming more students from Somalia."

Islamabad: His Excellency, Minister of Education, Culture, and Higher Education of Somalia, Farah Sheikh Abdulkadir, an alumnus of the International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI), alongwith Somali Ambassador H.E. Sheikh Noor Mohamed Hassan visited the university.

Minister Abdulkadir toured the Faculty of Shariah and Law, where he once studied.

He met with the faculty there and shared his old memories. In the management block auditorium, he met with Somali students to encourage them in their academic pursuits.

Meanwhile, he also held a meeting with the IIUI President, discussing avenues for collaboration in education and research.

The delegation emphasized the historic ties between Somalia and IIUI, underscoring the university's role in building global academic connections.

IIUI President said, "Somali students have great potential, and IIUI's doors will always be open to welcoming more students from Somalia."