RAWALPINDI, Feb 25: President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali attended a briefing here on Wednesday on Pakistan's space programme, given by Suparco.

The briefing highlighted the critical importance of exploitation and utilization of space for the socio-economic development of the country. It included recommendations on utilization of the Paksat-1 satellite, plans for the future development of Pakistan's space- based capabilities and development of ground infrastructure and human resources for the optimum utilization of space.

The president and prime minister appreciated the efforts put in by Suparco in chalking out a very realistic and comprehensive way forward for Pakistan's space programme.

They supported and encouraged Suparco's endeavours for the socio-economic development of the country and approved a number of proposals.

The ministers for Finance, Information Technology and Telecom, Science and Technology and other senior government functionaries also attended the briefing. -APP