Local solutions: ‘E-Abbottabad aimed at empowering youth, women’

ICTs for Development terms terrorism the real obstacle in path of development.

To introduce best practices of technology use in the sectors of education, health, agriculture and good governance, Pakistan Institute of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) for Development launched the ‘E-Abbottabad’ project on Saturday.

The ceremony was held at Jalal Baba Auditorium with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s Ali Khan Jadoon, former provincial law minister Ali Afzal Khan Jadoon and members of civil society in attendance.

The project in-charge of the Islamabad-based civil society organisation, Saira Benazir, said while sharing the key features of the project that the E-Abbottabad initiative was aimed at empowering the youth, women and under-privileged class in society.

Saira is also the author of a book on late Benazir Bhutto and said the project is in line with the concepts of development and prosperity envisioned by the former prime minister.

Saira termed terrorism the core issue of Pakistan and said it is one of the obstacles in the way of development, expressing her resolve to get rid of it.

She added that she would fight the menace through educating people and training them in the ICTs under the ‘E-Mosques’ initiative.

The project in-charge said she will put all her effort into educating the community about Islam’s message of peace. Speaking of the health initiative included in E-Abbottabad, Saira shared her resolve of fighting and eradicating polio from the country under the ‘E-Health’ programme.

Chief Executive of Pakistan Institute of ICTs for Development Syed Ammar Jaffri said in his presentation that fund-raising for E-Abbottabad will be carried out locally, rather than depending on international donor agencies.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 29^th, 2014.