ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Hussain Chaudhry announced on Wednesday that the country’s state-owned television news channel, PTV News, would begin its high-definition transmission from June 1 while also promising the same technological upgradation for PTV Sports during the course of this year.
In a brief Twitter thread, Chaudhry informed that Pakistan Television Corporation would also launch a channel in English to enhance its outreach.
“The revival of film and drama is our first priority,” he said in a social media post written in Urdu. “We are beginning to work on the lives of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan [an Islamic reformer] and Tipu Sultan [a Muslim ruler who resisted the onslaught of the British East India Company].”
He added that the government would offer up to Rs50 million in loans to young filmmakers to help them unleash their creative potential.
Chaudhry, who was recently assigned the information ministry for a second time under the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf administration, said he wanted to turn the Associated Press of Pakistan into a digital news agency and help strengthen the media community by facilitating them through the prime minister’s housing project and health insurance scheme.
He noted it was his policy to support digital media in the country, adding that he also intended to introduce a legislation to ensure that journalists were paid their salaries by owners of media houses on time.
Other than that, Chaudhry expressed his intention to provide more facilities to press clubs across Pakistan.
Pakistan’s state-owned television to begin high-definition transmission this year
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Pakistan’s state-owned television to begin high-definition transmission this year
- The country’s information minister says the government will offer loans to young filmmakers who want to unleash their creative potential
- Fawad Chaudhry maintains the PTI administration wants to help the media community through prime minister’s housing project and insurance program
Pakistan says CPEC has helped bridge cultural and language barriers with China
- Ataullah Tarar suggests Pakistan-China digital platform to counter ‘disinformation’ around CPEC
- People-to-people ties have remained limited between the two states despite strong official relations
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ataullah Tarar said on Wednesday the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has brought about a “cultural change,” helping break barriers of language and bringing the two countries closer together.
Pakistan and China have longstanding strategic relations, though much of their interactions have traditionally occurred at the government-to-government level through diplomatic, strategic and economic engagements. People-to-people ties between them have mostly remained limited, though the Pakistani minister said there was a gradual shift in the trend in the wake of the multibillion-dollar economic, infrastructure development and regional connectivity initiative.
Launched in 2015, CPEC includes investments in energy, transport, and industrial zones, and has since become a cornerstone of bilateral ties and Pakistan’s long-term development strategy.
“CPEC in Pakistan has broken a lot of barriers. It has broken the barrier of language, and it has broken the barriers of division. It has brought harmony,” Tarar said while addressing a ceremony organized by the Pakistan-China Institute, a local think tank.
“This corridor brought about a cultural change where we had investments coming in, where we had infrastructure being built, where we had industry being built, where we had airports and seaports being developed.”
He said it was “heartening” to see cultural change in Pakistan, such as a Chinese citizen speaking fluent Urdu or a Pakistani citizen speaking Mandarin.
Tarar said the cultural shift had become part of Pakistan’s ethos as the two countries move forward, describing Chinese President Xi Jinping’s 2015 visit as a turning point in reviving the economy.
He also maintained CPEC was targeted by a disinformation campaign, suggesting a digital media platform between Pakistan and China to counter the problem.
“I would suggest that maybe the Pakistan-China Institute can come up with a digital media platform to call out fake news and to label fake news circulating around CPEC,” he said, adding the government would fully support the endeavor.
“I think that will go a long way in not only strengthening the media cooperation but also in getting rid of misinformation and stating the correct facts in a very timely manner,” he added.
Tarar said the initiative will help promote a positive narrative around CPEC 2.0, referring to the next phase of the initiative that aims to focus on industrial development in Pakistan.
