KARACHI: Policies on Iraq proved correct, says Rashid
KARACHI, April 12: The Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, said on Saturday that Pakistan’s policies on Iraq proved successful and in right direction. He said its analysis of situation there also come out to be correct.
Talking to newsmen during his visit to the Institute of Business and Technology, the minister said that the government wanted to strengthen democracy in the country and for this purpose, it wanted to continue dialogue with everyone in the parliament.
However, he added, Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal had adopted a rigid stand on its one-point agenda.
In his speech at the reception, given in his honour by the institute, Sheikh Rashid underlined the need for more investment in imparting education and training to the youths of the country. He acknowledged that while the private sector institutions were doing their best in this regard and imparting quality education, those of government sector were not doing so well.
“I have built six educational institutions in my area,” he pointed out and admitted, “they did not come up to the expectations.”
The minister said that his main focus was on streamlining female education on sound footings because he believed “if mothers are educated, the whole nation is educated.”
In his welcome address, the President and Chief Executive Officer of the institute, Noman Abid, gave a brief resume of the institute. The Director (Academics), Prof. S. M. Makhdoomi, and Vice Chairman, Col Tahir, also spoke on the occasion.
Later, the minister went round various sections, computer labs and library of the institute.
Anwer Dawood, Chairman of the institute, presented a shield to the minister.
PTV CENTRE: Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has exhorted officers and other staff of Pakistan Television to strive hard to attain excellence in their respective fields.
He was addressing the staff during his visit to the PTV Centre here on Saturday.
He revealed that Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali had approved a sum of Rs400 million to cater to the needs of the PTV. The amount, he added, would be released in a couple of days and utilized by June this year.
He stressed the need for a cautious utlization of the funds and advised the concerned officials to ensure quality and price of any equipment procured from the funds.
He made it clear that he was ready to provide every required facility to the PTV but at the same time he expected quality work in return.
“I always go for quality and not quantity,” he insisted.
Emphasizing the need for a liberal policy, the minister observed that the media faced the challenge of tough competition from private channels.
After June this year, he told the staff, there would be five or six channels in competition with the PTV. Welcoming the new channels, he remarked that competition always enhanced performance and quality.
He observed that there was no dearth of talent at the disposal of PTV, especially at its Karachi Centre.
He said that two PTV channels, one of them from Azad Jammu and Kashmir, would be launched within the next two months after which the PTV would be having as many as five channels of its own.
He pointed out that AsiaNet still had a room for two to three more channels. There would also be provision for PTV channel for overseas Pakistanis, he added.
Later, the minister distributed prizes among the winners of a PTV quiz programme.
He handed over a cheque of Rs5 million to the winner, Syed Javed Raza, and cheques of Rs18,000 each to other winners, Hafiz Syed Nasimuddin and Sohail Saeed Khan. Two cheques of Rs9,000 and Rs4,500 were handed over to Syed Fazal Hussain and Syed Asifuddin respectively.—APP/PPI
