Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that vigorous efforts are underway to make Pakistan a regional hub for Information Technology.
He was speaking during a meeting held yesterday with the parents of the late Arfa Karim Randhawa, a distinguished young Pakistani IT expert—Samina Amjad and Amjad Karim Randhawa. On this occasion, the Chief Executive of the Arfa Karim Foundation, Tabinda Islam, was also present. The Prime Minister said that youth are being strongly encouraged to acquire IT education and training, while business activities in the IT sector are also being actively promoted. He added that providing Pakistani youth with world-class IT education and training is among the top priorities of the government.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif further stated that the federal government is distributing laptops among hardworking and high-performing students to support their educational activities. He paid tribute to Arfa Karim for rendering outstanding services in the field of IT at a young age and for bringing pride to Pakistan at the international level.
In addition, the Prime Minister expressed deep sorrow and grief over the loss of precious lives in a cylinder explosion in Islamabad and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured. He directed the Federal Minister for Health, the Health Secretary, and the administration of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences to remain on high alert and to provide all possible medical facilities to the injured. He also instructed that the best medical care be ensured for the injured until their full recovery.
Taking notice of the incident, the Prime Minister directed the Interior Secretary to conduct a comprehensive investigation to determine the causes of the accident and fix responsibility, and to submit a detailed report. He prayed for the forgiveness of the deceased and expressed heartfelt condolences and sympathy to the affected families. He further instructed the Islamabad administration to launch an awareness campaign to educate citizens about safety precautions for the use of gas cylinders so that such incidents can be prevented in the future.
