ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has instructed officials of relevant ministries to stay in close contact with their Saudi counterparts to ensure tangible progress in all areas where the two countries had agreed to work together during a recent visit by the PM to the kingdom, a press release by the PM Office said on Monday.
Khan traveled on a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia earlier this month on the invitation of Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The two leaders were present as senior government functionaries from both sides signed several agreements and memoranda of understanding related to trade, energy, media and economy.
“Recalling the warm hospitality and keen interest of the Saudi leadership in forging closer cooperation with Pakistan in diverse fields, in particular bilateral economic and investment ties, the prime minister urged the ministries to ensure quick and robust follow-up on the outcomes,” the official handout added.
Khan maintained there was significant potential for bilateral cooperation between the two countries while chairing a high-profile meeting regarding his visit to the kingdom.
“Highlighting the potential of Saudi Vision 2030, the prime minister mentioned the prospects of job opportunities in skilled and semi-skilled sectors for Pakistanis in the coming decade, which, if optimally utilized, could help transform Pakistan’s economy and development,” said the statement.
He emphasized the importance of developing a close liaison with the Saudi authorities for the completion of all projects within the stipulated period.
Pakistani PM pushes for ‘robust’ follow-up on agreements discussed during Saudi visit
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Pakistani PM pushes for ‘robust’ follow-up on agreements discussed during Saudi visit
- PM Khan went on a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia on May 7 to consolidate the two nations’ wide-ranging ties
- Several agreements and memoranda of understanding on trade, energy and media signed and discussed during visit
Pakistan parliamentary panel discusses rollout of local messaging app for officials next year
- Officials say ‘Beep’ aims to provide a secure, locally built messaging platform for government use
- The committee voices dissatisfaction with Internet services, calls for fair 5G spectrum auction
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani parliamentary committee on Tuesday discussed plans to roll out a locally developed messaging application for government officials next year, even as lawmakers voiced strong dissatisfaction with the country’s Internet services during a hearing marked by complaints over poor connectivity.
Local media reported that the proposed app for secure official communication came up during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication, where members also raised concerns about sluggish mobile Internet speeds and the performance of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
Pakistani officials announced last year that local engineers had developed and successfully tested a government messaging platform intended to reduce reliance on foreign applications and strengthen data security. The National Information Technology Board (NITB) said the application — known as Beep — had been successfully undergoing trial runs since 2023.
“The purpose of launching Beep is to provide a secure messaging platform for public sector employees nationwide,” NITB Chief Executive Faisal Iqbal Ratyal told the committee during the hearing, according to Pakistan’s English-language broadsheet Dawn, expressing hope that the project would meet its June 30, 2026 deadline.
In an official statement issued after the meeting, the committee praised the National Information Technology Board, calling its performance commendable and its projects aligned with the broader national interest.
The statement said the committee also expressed dissatisfaction with the PTA’s performance, noting that complaints raised in successive meetings largely related to the quality of Internet services and that no significant improvement had been observed so far.
It said official assessments portraying services as satisfactory did not reflect ground realities, as the public faced “severe difficulties” accessing Internet services, with connectivity in some areas described as almost non-existent.
Lawmakers also called for the forthcoming 5G spectrum auction to be conducted in a fair and transparent manner, reiterated that the auction should be held in Pakistani rupees and said spectrum prices should not be set unnecessarily high.
Any concessions granted to telecom operators, the committee said, must be tied to improvements in network and infrastructure.
Pakistani users across the country have frequently complained of sluggish 4G Internet connections in recent months, citing disruptions to calls on messaging platform WhatsApp.
Last year, media reports said the government was installing an Internet firewall to monitor and regulate online content, prompting concern among digital rights activists.
The PTA has rejected assertions that a national firewall was responsible for disruptions, saying in September that slow Internet speeds were due to outdated infrastructure and rising data consumption.
