Court rulings hurt tech industry: Fawad Chaudhry

Sci-tech minister calls for changes in media syllabus

ISLAMABAD:

Lamenting the judiciary’s role on digital media, Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry alleged that Pakistan's tech industry had been hurt by court decisions that worsened the country's relations with information technology companies.

“Unfortunately, technological progress received a big blow in our country due to certain court decisions in the past,” he said while addressing a two-day international media conference at the Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) in Rawalpindi on Wednesday.

The minister said Pakistan’s relations with digital companies had deteriorated in 2014 when Youtube was banned in the country.

"The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) decision to ban TikTok earlier last year also served a blow to international relations," he said, adding that a ban culture had affected every sector of the economy.

Dismayed by the current situation, Chaudhry stated that whenever he meets judges, he requests them not to hear cases related to digital media. The minister pointed out that Pakistan would not be able to attract foreign investment if it does not alter its policies.

He was of the view that the state could not regulate digital media as individuals should be allowed to decide their future.

Talking about the impact of technology on education, he said that during the past two and a half years, universities had rapidly moved towards social media channels, including Twitter and Facebook. "Now that educational institutions are also going digital due to the novel coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, they should include courses on digital media in the curriculum."

As far as Media syllabus go, the minister stressed the need to change the syllabus for journalism, which is offered at 43 education institutions, as per the need of the market.

Furthermore, while discussing the country’s power issues, Chaudhry said Pakistan was generating electricity but encountering problems in its distribution.

“Pakistan will spend Rs140 billion on electricity transmission systems,” he said, adding that the energy minister has been asked to see if poles and wires would be needed in the next ten years or not.

The minister maintained that around 50 percent of Europe’s vehicles run on electricity, however, he mentioned that once electric vehicles are introduced in Pakistan, car mechanics will be the first ones to lose their job over the next ten years.

Other speakers at the conference said the role of media in Pakistan is not only to be a watchdog but also to create consensus. The media industry has made great progress in the last few years, they added.

The final session of the conference will be held on Thursday (today).