Mamnoon Hussain Calls for Bridging the Digital Divide In Pakistan
Mamnoon Hussain Calls for Bridging the Digital Divide In Pakistan
President of Pakistan, Mamnoon Hussain, says that he wishes to accelerate digitalisation in Pakistan and transform Pakistan to become a knowledge-based economy. He was speaking to the attendants of the second World Internet Conference in Wuzhen, China.
Mamnoon Hussain stated that he realises the potential of Information Communication Technologies (ICTs). He added that “We consider it (ICT) as a key enabler to achieve efficiency, transparency, good governance and empowering the people”.
World Internet Conference
The international conference was organised by the Cyberspace Administration of China and the Provincial Government of Zhejiang. The conference was also attended and addressed by the Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and a few other international leaders.
Pakistani President said that the government is focused towards developing an ICT infrastructure across Pakistan and has put special emphasis on serving marginalised segments and bridging the digital divide in the society.
We believe in connectivity and inclusiveness for all. Special projects to empower women and girls through ICTs have been launched.
The President noted that he was also aware of the fact that innovations in cyberspace have resulted in commercial, cultural, economic and social prospects for citizens. Pakistan is a progressive nation and therefore fully endorses the global vision of interconnectivity around the globe, he added.
We are here together to deliberate on how to make our cyberspace more responsive to our needs, more secure and reliable in use, more robust in terms of technology and more conducive for promoting innovation.
He said that digital economy and IT industry are an important and ever-growing part of countries around the globe. The President said that internet connectivity had a direct and positive correlation to economic growth and improved living standards. He believes that internet will drive innovation and investments in relevant technologies.
President Mamnoon Hussain said that cyberspace provides extraordinary prospects in fields like e-health, distance learning, e-commerce, e-governance and several other similar opportunities. He mentioned that the World Wide Web has connected the world like never before in human history.
Mamnoon Hussain stressed on the fact that to fully realise the potential on cyberspace, safe and effective communication processes are required. We need to build a consensus around a set of international protocols that promote open, secure and reliable cyberspace community, he said. According to him, Pakistan has always followed the policy of free flow of information and open access to internet. The President applauded China’s importance and efforts in cyberspace and that Pakistan will continue to coordinate with the Chinese cyberspace community’s shared destiny with Pakistan.
Pakistani President also congratulated the Cyberspace Administration of China and the local government on holding such a successful conference.
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