Pakistan to focus on cutting-edge space technologies for national growth: minister

ISLAMABAD, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) — Pakistani Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said on Wednesday that the country has been focusing on cutting-edge space technologies for national growth.
Addressing a conference to celebrate the operationalization of the PAKSAT-MM1 satellite, the minister said that the satellite would revolutionize communication infrastructure, bringing significant benefits to all sectors of society.
She said that the satellite will help expand outreach of internet connectivity to the far-flung areas, which is a vital step towards digitally connected Pakistan, adding that digitalization and technology development are the gateways towards socio-economic prosperity in the country.
Commenting on Pakistan’s ranking in the United Nations e-governance development index, Khawaja said that the country is one of the nations in Asia that have moved from the middle tier of digital e-governance to the high tier, describing it as a significant achievement. ■