ISLAMABAD, April 25: Federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Northern Areas Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao has said the government wants to extend modern means of communications to Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Northern Areas.

He was presiding over a meeting at the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority’s headquarters to discuss the extension of GSM mobile phone services to the AJK and Northern Areas.

The Special Communication Organization (SCO), the minister said, was providing facilities in the terrain of the AJK and Northern Areas.

The meeting approved that keeping in view sensitivity of the areas, the SCO would be a sole mobile phone operator for them.

The minister directed that the licensing process should be expedited so that residents of the areas concerned could early benefit from this modern communications technology.

“We want all projects to be completed fast,” he said and added that the SCO’s budget should be increased according to demand and future projects.

The organization has applied for a license of 50,000 GSM lines, in addition to 5,000 connections which is a gift to President Musharraf for the AJK by ZTE Corporation of China.

Earlier, PTA Chairman Maj-Gen Malik (Rtd) briefed the meeting on licensing process and informed that four mobile operators were working in the country.

The PTA, he said, had received Rs5 million license fee from the SCO and additional Rs1.2 million spectrum charges. The organization was extending all possible opportunities to private sector, he added.

Internet and pay phone services, and voice over Internet protocol are being provided with the help of private investment.

The SCO, the PTA chief said, earned Rs853 million from July 2002, to March 2003, including Rs60.98 million that went to the AJK government as central excise duty. It would cross Rs1 billion target this fiscal year, he added.

The meeting was also attended by Commander 10 Corps Lt-Gen Syed Arif Hasan, Kashmir Affairs Ministry Secretary Javed Ashraf Hussain, SCO Director-General Maj-Gen Wahid Malik and members of the AJK Council.