Tarar felicitates new chairman of Senate Committee on IandB

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar has extended felicitations to Senator Syed Ali Zafar on becoming chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting (IandB). Attending a meeting of the Standing Committee, Attaullah Tarar said his ministry will extend all possible cooperation to the Standing Committee as we believe in democratic values and traditions. He said political opposition does not mean political enmity. He said there is no harm in having a dialogue with political opponents for the development and progress of Pakistan. He also emphasized the need to promote the tendency to share one another's happiness and grief in politics. Attaullah Tarar said our leadership has taught us that if a political rival gets injured then one should visit his residence to inquire about his health. He added election campaigns can be suspended for the goodwill of political rivals. Talking about the entertainment and film industry, the Minister underscored the need for promotin g this field. He said our local film industry should not be affected by foreign movies, it needs to be balanced. Emphasising the need to encourage filmmaking, the Minister said we have requested prominent filmmakers of Pakistan to come up with their ideas. The Minister further informed that the government has revived the health insurance scheme for journalists. He said in the first phase of the scheme, five thousand journalists and media workers will be benefited. He added that overall 30,000 journalists and media workers will be taken care of across the country under this scheme. He said media workers will be provided quality medical facilities at around one thousand hospitals across Pakistan. Attaullah Tarar said broad consultation is being undertaken for the establishment of the Digital Rights Protection Authority. He said curbing of crimes, happening in the digital domain, is of utmost importance. He said at present, there is no mechanism to deal with the issues like deep fake videos. He said the Prim e Minister has constituted a cabinet committee under the chairmanship of his advisor Rana Sanaullah. He said the mandate of the committee is to hold consultations with all journalists' bodies, parliamentarians, and political parties. Source: Radio Pakistan