ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan and Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg on Friday held a virtual meeting to discuss the social media giant’s investment in Pakistan and its support for digital literacy initiative and work to prevent Covid-19 from spreading in the country and around the world.

Prime Minister Khan welcomed Facebook’s investment and programmes in the country and encouraged its management to increase their footprint in the country.

He lauded the role of Facebook in providing global opportunities to Pakistani youth and entrepreneurs.

The prime minister expressed concern over the global rise in hate speech and extremism and stressed the need for fighting the scourge.

He also discussed Facebook’s connectivity investment and research grants awarded this year to Pakistan-based academics. The prime minister lauded Facebook’s support for the government’s goal of a polio-free Pakistan.

Mr Khan and Ms Sandberg also discussed Facebook’s #SheMeansBusiness Programme in Pakistan which is training some 6,700 women across the country.

Nick Clegg, Facebook’s VP for Global Affairs and Communications, and Sarim Aziz, head of Public Policy, Pakistan, at Facebook, also attended the meeting, along with Dr Arslan Khalid, Focal Person of the PM on Digital Media.

Ms Sandberg invited PM Khan to visit the head office of Facebook. The two had last met in Davos, Switzerland, in January this year.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Khan held a meeting with the bigwigs belonging to the energy sector on Friday, the PM Office said.

The meeting with Muham­mad Ali Tabba, Shahid Abdullah and Ansar Ahmed Khan focused on promotion of the energy sector in the country, adds APP.

Published in Dawn, October 10th, 2020