Awais leaves for Turkey to attend ITU moot

ISLAMABAD—Minister for Information Technology Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari has proceeded to Turkey to attend the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference being organised in the Turkish city of Antalya.
The conference which started on Monday (yesterday) would continue until November 24, 2006 to discuss key issues concerning the future role of the organisation as well as its ability to influence and affect the development of information and communication technologies worldwide.
The Pakistani delegation which also includes PTA chairman Shahzada Alam Malik and senior officials of the IT ministry and the regulator, will participate in various sessions of the conference which will set out the union’s general policies and adopt four-year strategic and financial plans.
The significance of the conference for Pakistan has increased following Pakistan’s candidature as ITU council member for the period 2006-10 in the person of PTA chairman Shahzada Alam Malik who is expected to carry the day for Pakistan given the country’s role and contribution in the various ITU initiatives and other regional telecommunication activities.
Pakistan’s telecom sector has also been hailed as a success story throughout the world with the country winning international recognition and various global awards, including the prestigious GSMA country leadership award, for bringing about a turnaround in the telecom sector at the back of investor friendly and forward-looking policies.—INP