ISLAMABAD: The production of mobile phones by Pakistani manufacturers has surpassed the number of mobile phones imported by the country, the country’s telecom regulator said on Thursday, with the number of locally manufactured devices reaching 12.27 million during January-July 2021.
The number of mobile phones imported by the country was recorded at 8.29 million during this period, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority said in a statement. The country has achieved this milestone within seven months of the introduction of the Mobile Device Manufacturing (MDM) authorization regime, which allows local and foreign companies to manufacture devices in Pakistan, PTA said.
“This trend reflects a positive uptake on PTA’s MDM authorization regulatory regime,” the regulator added, saying locally made mobile devices included 4.87 million 4G smartphones.
So far, according to the PTA, 26 companies, including Samsung, Nokia, Oppo, TECNO, Infinix, Vgotel and Q-mobile, have been authorized to manufacture mobile devices in Pakistan.
PTA attributed a favorable environment for mobile device manufacturing in Pakistan to the successful implementation of its Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS).
In late 2017, the government introduced the system to combat the smuggling of mobile phones and regulate devices in its volatile market.
“It has also contributed positively to the mobile ecosystem of Pakistan by eliminating counterfeit device market, providing a level playing field for commercial entities,” the regulator said, pointing to growing trust among consumers.
Several local mobile manufacturers have surfaced in the Pakistani market since the introduction of the new policies. Previously, the country relied only on imports for its ever-growing demand for latest mobile devices, which would cost it hundreds of thousands of dollars in foreign exchange.
Pakistan’s local cellphone manufacturing surpasses imports by nearly 4.5 million devices — regulator
https://arab.news/c673r
Pakistan’s local cellphone manufacturing surpasses imports by nearly 4.5 million devices — regulator
- Says 26 companies, including Samsung, Nokia, Oppo, now authorized to manufacture mobile phones in Pakistan
- Attributes favorable environment for mobile manufacturing to new policies to combat smuggling and regulate devices
Pakistan, seven Muslim nations back Palestinian technocratic body, stress Gaza-West Bank unity
- The National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip was announced on January 14
- Muslim nations call for consolidation of the ceasefire and unimpeded humanitarian aid into Gaza
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and seven other Muslim-majority countries on Thursday welcomed the formation of a temporary Palestinian technocratic body to administer Gaza, stressing that it must manage daily civilian affairs while preserving the institutional and territorial link between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank amid the ongoing peace efforts.
In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Türkiye, Indonesia and the United Arab Emirates said the newly announced National Committee for the Administration of the Gaza Strip would play a central role during the second phase of a broader peace plan aimed at ending the war and paving the way for Palestinian self-governance.
“The Ministers emphasize the importance of the National Committee commencing its duties in managing the day-to-day affairs of the people of Gaza, while preserving the institutional and territorial link between the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, ensuring the unity of Gaza, and rejecting any attempts to divide it,” the statement said.
The committee, announced on Jan. 14, is a temporary transitional body established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 and is to operate in coordination with the Palestinian Authority, the ministers said.
The statement said the move forms part of the second phase of US President Donald Trump’s Comprehensive Peace Plan for Gaza, which the ministers said they supported, praising Trump’s efforts to end the war, ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces and prevent the annexation of the occupied West Bank.
The top leaders of all eight Muslim countries attended a meeting with Trump in New York last September, shortly before he unveiled the Gaza peace plan.
The ministers also called for the consolidation of the ceasefire, unimpeded humanitarian aid into Gaza, early recovery and reconstruction and the eventual return of the Palestinian Authority to administer the territory, leading to a just and sustainable peace based on UN resolutions and a two-state solution on pre-1967 lines with East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital.
