Islamabad: In compliance with the vision and directions of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, The Ministry of IT and Telecommunication held a launching ceremony for the National ICT Whitepaper at Marriot, Islamabad. The Whitepaper is a review of Pakistan’s ICT development progress and maps out the way forward towards national digital transformation. The Ceremony was attended by Federal Minister for IT and Telecom, Mr. Syed Amin Ul Haque, Additional Secretary (Incharge) Ministry of ITT, Mohsin Mushtaq, Additional Secretary, Aisha Humera Moriani, Member IT, Syed Junaid Imam, senior officials of the ministry, heads of the attached departments of Ministry of ITT, Vice President of Huawei Middle East Mr. Wang, CEO Huawei Pakistan Mr. Mark Meng, Deputy CEO Huawei Pakistan Ahmed Bilal Masud, among others.
The National Whitepaper is part of a series of concrete steps taken by the Ministry in making the country sound and strong on digital front including e-Government, e-Learning, e-Health and other schemes that are designed to boost the adoption of ICT based applications within the public sector.
During the ceremony, Mr. Wang Shunli, Vice President of HuaweiMiddle East took the stage to talk about how Information and Communication Technologies has played a key role in revolutionizing the world, making it truly a Global Village, how innovation in ICT results in commercial, economic, cultural, and social opportunities for users of Cyberspace. He also added, “I would like to appreciate and highlight MoITT’s efforts in enhancing connectivity which is one of the fundamental pillars of Digitalization in any country. Cellular subscribers have now reached to 195 Million which is 88% population penetration which is commendable. In the last five years 4G users have grown exponentially from just five million users we now have more than 80 Million 4G subscribers. The ministry’s efforts for right of way policy will help to enhance the Fiber Penetration rate in Pakistan.”
The Vice President also took the opportunity to talk aboutsignificant progress made by Huawei in recent years to train the talent youth of Pakistan. For what the company views as an inevitable direction for the country, talent development was described as the key for sustainability of Digital Pakistan with programs like Huawei ICT Academy, Seeds for the Future and the ICT international competition. Every year, more than 10,000 students participate in the competition from around the Pakistan. “Pakistan’s Team won the first place in the final of Huawei ICT Competition 2021 held in Middle East, they also won the first prize in the Global finals competing with teams from all across the globe. We were inspired by the efforts put forward by this team, and especially by star student, Bhagchand. To honor his achievements we have made a microfilm, so that others may be inspired by his story. He is a true testament to showing how far hard work and commitment can take you,” added, Mr. Wang right before the microfilm was played for all the audience and dignitaries. The Federal Minister, Secretary and other officials from the Ministry of IT and Telecom appreciated and applauded for the story of Bhagchand, and the subtlety with which it was captured on film.
The microfilm will soon be available for viewing on Huawei Pakistan’s Facebook and Twitter pages in the coming week.