Relying on technology for all sorts of businesses ‘inevitable’: Fawad

ISLAMABAD : Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Wednesday maintained that relying on technology for every type of business is inevitable.

While addressing a function relating to the importance of digital media in Islamabad, he invited Facebook to open its office in Pakistan to get advertisement business.

The Minister told that Pakistan has allocated one-thirds of government advertisements to digital media.

“Advertisements worth Rs7 billion are generated in Pakistan. Its platforms are shrinking from formal media to digital media,” he said.

Fawad notified that there is a crisis in the media industry, but it is linked with technology as our media houses are lagging behind in using modern technology.

The Minister urged the media industry to initiate research to know effects of digital media on the formal media.

He announced that the government has decided to transform Associated Press of Pakistan into Digital Service of Pakistan. He said the government is spending Rs850 million on APP but it is an irony that majority of its staff is unable to operate an email account.

The Minister said the government is bringing a framework to regulate web TV, social media, and other media.

Speaking on the political scenario, he said, “Past government did many wrong activities. But we will not bear the burden of any of them.”