RAWALPINDI: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain has said some previous court decisions and state policies hindered the technological progress in the country which was unfortunate.
While addressing at the two-day international media conference at the Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU), Rawalpindi, the minister urged judges to desist from hearing cases pertaining to technological matters.
Fawad Chaudhry said technological progress received a big blow in Pakistan due to some previous court decisions, adding that especially Pakistan’s relations with digital companies had been deteriorated due to some court decisions in the year 2014.
The minister said the country needed to prepare itself for the future and foreign investment could only be attracted through altering state policies. He suggested that technology companies should be invited for the training and skills development of Pakistan’s students.
Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s decision to ban TikTok earlier last year also caused damage to these relations, he said and lamented. “Ban culture in the country has affected every sector. I plead judges not to hear cases relating to digital media,” he said.
Referring to some universities imposing strict dressing codes, Fawad advised against enforcing strict steps. Those who want to wear jeans should be allowed to wear jeans. Others, who want to take an abaya should be allowed to do so, he said.
The minister pointed out that Pakistan would not be capable to attract foreign investment, if it did not change its state policies, adding unemployment will end when the foreign investment will come to Pakistan.
“The state cannot regulate everything, let the individuals decide what to do. Political and economic independence moulds an individual’s life,” he said.
Fawad advised students to choose the career they desired. “Those who want to study should study, but others who want to play video games should do that as well,” he said.
Gone were the days when a person excelled in life only if they studied hard, he said. “Nowadays, you find even a 20-year-old a billionaire,” the minister added.
He said the media industry had witnessed a big change twenty years ago and would change dramatically in the next decade.
Now the media industry was moving towards digital so educational institutions should also include essays and articles in the syllabus in that regard, the minister added.
