Policy Statement of Pakistan
by Mr. Shahzada Alam Malik

H.E Mr. Nasr Hajji, Secretary of State to the Prime Minister on Posts and Telecommunications and Information Technologies, Kingdom of Morocco,
H.E. Mr. Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary General of the ITU,
H.E. Mr. Roberto Blois, Deputy Secretary General of ITU,
The Directors of ITU Bureaux,
Honorable Delegates of Member States of the Union,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is indeed a great honour and privilege to express views in this august gathering of professionals and experts.

2. On behalf of the Government of Pakistan, the delegation and on my own behalf I would first of all like to present our compliments to the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco for hosting the Sixteenth Plenipotentiary Conference of the ITU in this historic, serene and peaceful City of Marrakech.

3. I would also like to bring on record our sincere and warm wishes to the Member States of the Union, the ITU Secretariat, the delegates and the participants of this prestigious Conference of the International Telecommunication Union, which is taking place after four years to ratify and approve Resolutions on the proceedings of the period, the WTDC 2002 deliberations and the initiatives on the Information Society. We would also like to endorse the objectives and goals set by the ITU for this dynamic Information and Communication Technology sector for the next 4 years. In this connection we like to request that contributions made and views given in this Conference be also taken into account for the overall benefit of the Member States and also made part of resolutions that are being adopted.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

4. One quarter of the ITU Member States have a telephone penetration rate below 1%. There exists a great imbalance between the developed and the underdeveloped regions and regions within the developing countries in terms of the telecom infrastructure. In the context of economic globalization, the task of bridging the digital divide is increasingly urgent. If the digital divide is left to grow on itself instead of being effectively controlled, not only the developing countries, but also the whole telecom industry of the World would suffer. The international community and ITU should consider and deal with the digital divide issue from the perspective of globalization and come out with harmonious sector development strategy of the 21st century.

5. In pursuit of the broader objectives we must therefore put our efforts together to unleash the creativity of our intellectual power for achieving sustainable socio-economic development through efficient and effective deployment of modern telecommunications infrastructure.

6. Since we last met at the Plenipotentiary Conference of 1998, held at Minneapolis, USA, the ITU has worked hard to achieve its objectives as set-forth at that time; but the ground realities today are much different than what they were 4 years before. Recent international events have influenced the way we had been approaching the issues, there is a need to take stock of the situation in the changed paradigm and to adopt such an approach that gives rise to new opportunities. Our views for carving and planning the role of ITU should provide us with opportunity to share our thoughts and correct our vision towards future strategies. The policies which ensure rapid growth in this highly dynamic sector to benefit the human-kind without any discrimination of cast, creed or colour must be developed and adopted.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

7. The ITU had been playing an effective role in development of the sector, by setting standards and policies which were for the overall benefit of the Member Countries. Over the years the Secretariat and the Bureaux have extended technical, financial and expert support for adoption and absorption of technologies by the developing countries in changing their destiny. However, more concerted efforts are needed to help them in new technological solutions in a much shorter span of time so as to enable them to reap the benefits quickly. ICT is key enabler for transforming many of the challenges we face and ITU should help developing countries seize this opportunity, especially for the rural and deprived areas.

8. In the wake of global ITU efforts and strategies for sector liberalization, Pakistan took bold initiatives, internet connectivity has been extended to more than 900 cities and villages from just about 29 cities in two years, mobile market is growing with 1.5 million subscribers and the fixed market is being opened to competition from 2003. The Government of Pakistan is preparing an investor friendly policy with necessary regulatory framework in place to meet challenges that would be faced once licenses to new entrant are issued. De-regulation policy would address all pre-requisites which make up a credible document. Opening of one of the mass Asian market would be an opportunity for supply-surplus Investors of the developed countries. It is a challenge for Pakistan and developing countries as to how to entice the investors to harness best of opportunities in these countries. The ITU should put in place strategies that balance the information gap and create enough confidence in developed world to invest in emerging markets. I would like to request to the forum (and ITU) to deliberate upon as to how to successfully implement strategies that help developing countries to achieve:

• Faster growth of ICT, enhance coverage and tele-density.
• Accelerate rural service roll-out and meet universal service obligation (for reasonable ICT access).
• Bring cost of service within country specific limits of affordability.
• Help unleash creativity and fast develop required human resource skills for the ICT sector.

9. Pakistan has been actively engaged is seeking the objectives of the Union through representation in all the activities of the Union. Pakistan is therefore seeking re-election to the ITU Council to renew its commitments to the ITU and has also the filed the candidature of Mr. Akhtar Ahmad Bajwa for the Radio Regulation Board for dedicated contributions for the Radiocommunication sector.

10. I would like to conclude here by commending the International Telecommunication Union for the excellent work it has been doing over the years to assist Member states especially the developing countries. I trust that the Conference will contribute to provide innovative solutions, transforming the Digital Divide into Digital Opportunities bearing in mind the needs of less developed countries. Over the past decade, the ITU has worked at institution building and at gaining global acceptance that telecom policies must foster competition and provide transparency. Because of its success, ITU should now focus on the implementation of widely accepted national telecom policies for the purpose of better ICT infrastructure in developing countries.

11. In the end I would like to thank all the participants and present best wishes for the success of the Plenipotentiary Conference.