Pakistan to further strengthen bilateral relations with Germany: Pervaiz Rasheed

Lahore: Minister for Information Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid said Pakistan considers Germany a close friend and would like to further strengthen bilateral relations for the mutual benefit  of the people of both countries.

Talking to Ms. Ina Lepel, Ambassador of Germany, he said  that Pakistan is one of the most investor friendly countries and  all its sectors are open for foreign investments, said a press release.

Information Minister said that present Government is keen  to improve energy situation and infrastructure development, and  look forward towards German cooperation in this connection.

He also emphasized the need to boost ties with Germany in  the field of Information, Culture and Media Cooperation.

Senator Pervaiz Rashid said that Pakistan has rendered huge sacrifices in the war against terrorism and is fully committed to work with the international community in its global efforts to root  out the scourge of terrorism and extremism.

He said that Pakistan is determined to fight terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and National Action Plan has been  formulated to effectively deal with the situation.

Ms. Ana Lepel, in its meeting with the Minister for IB&NH discussed various matters particularly cooperation in the field of media, information  and culture came under discussion.

Senator Pervaiz Rashid assured the Ambassador his full cooperation for any matter related to the Ministry of IB & NH. The German Ambassador also acknowledged the role and scarifies of Pakistan being a frontline state in the global war against terrorism.

She also appreciated the level of independence provided to the media in Pakistan and wished that democracy may further flourish in Pakistan.

Meanwhile; Senator Pervaiz Rashid said Pakistan today was far more safe than in 2013 when the present democratic government came to power.

Speaking in the , Broadcasting and National Heritage here, he said the Zarb-e-Azb and Karachi operations were launched to root out the scourge of terrorism  from the country.

Now a dignitary from Pakistan visits Washington, London,  Tokyo, Berlin, Moscow etc or vice versa, a sentence appreciating  Pakistan’s role and sacrifices in global efforts against terrorism  and extremism forms part of the joint statement, the minister added.

He said the world not only appreciated Pakistan but also  acknowledged its gains and achievements in the war against terror,  as a result of which both the world and Pakistan were more safe.

He said the threat to the lives of journalists and media houses was linked to the issue of terrorism. However, as a result of the  Zarb-e-Azb and Karachi operations things were improving now, he added.

He said it was the government’s responsibility to provide  protection and security to all its citizens, including the  journalists.

The present government, he said, had kept the issue of terrorism  on top of its agenda and the Prime Minister’s commitment to the issue  was manifested on daily basis.

About the provision of security to journalists, he said the Prime Minister had constituted a committee headed by Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan, which had held five meetings so far and  recommended steps which were being implemented.

On the committee’s recommendations, he said geo-fencing of all  the media houses in the Federal Capital had been done and details  about their locations were provided to the law enforcement agencies.  Moreover, the presence of law enforcement personnel had been ensured in the vicinity of media houses.

He said a panic button system had also been installed in  media houses. In case of any suspicious activity witnessed near their offices, media persons could push the button to call police.

Similarly, he said, an emergency telephone number had also been  provided to journalists and media houses on which they could call in  case of any emergency.

He said the provincial governments had also been approached  and they too had provided these facilities to journalists and media  houses in their respective capitals. Same facilities were now  being expanded to other cities also, he added.

About the Right to Information Bill, he said its draft was  included on the agenda of the cabinet twice, but it could not be taken up due to heavy agenda. Now he had discussed the issue with the Prime Minister for its early approval, he added.