Fawad urges judges to not hear digital media cases

RAWALPINDI: Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday called on judges not to hear cases related to digital media and said some previous court decisions “hindered” technological progress in the country.

“Technological progress was dealt a big blow in our country due to some previous court decisions,” he said while speaking at a two-day international media conference, ‘Digital Media Ecologies in the New Normal Challenges and Opportunities’, at the Fatima Jinnah Women University (FJWU) here.

The minister said Pakistan’s relations with digital companies had deteriorated due to some court decisions in the year 2014. Furthermore, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s (PTA) decision to ban TikTok last year also damaged these relations, he said.

“Ban culture in the country has affected every sector,” Chaudhry said. “For God’s sake, judges should not hear cases relating to digital media,” he said.

Referring to some universities imposing strict dress codes, Chaudhry advised against enforcing such measures. “Those who want to wear jeans should be allowed to wear jeans. Others, who want to wear an Abaya should be allowed to do so,” he said.

The minister pointed out that Pakistan would not be able to attract foreign investment, if it did not alter its state policies. “Unemployment will end when foreign investment will come to Pakistan”, he added. “The state cannot regulate everything; let the individuals decide what to do.

Political and economic independence moulds an individual’s life,” he added.

Chaudhry advised students to choose the career they desire. “Those who want to study should study, but others who want to play video games should do that as well,” he said. “Gone are the days when a person excels in life only if he studies hard. Nowadays, you can find even a 20-year-old a billionaire,” the minister added.

He said the media industry had witnessed a big change in the past 20 years and would change dramatically in the next decade. Now the media industry was moving towards the digital realm, so educational institutions should also include essays and articles in the syllabus in that regard, he said.

Talking about the country’s power issues, he said Pakistan was generating electricity but encountering problems in its distribution. He said Pakistan would spend Rs140 billion on electricity transmission systems.

Chaudhry said he had also asked the energy minister to see if poles and wires would even be needed in the next ten years or not. Around 50 per cent of Europe’s vehicles were running on electricity, he said, cautioning that after electric vehicles come to Pakistan, “the mechanic would be the first to lose his job”.