Masood urges SCO to upgrade telecom system for e-health, e-education

Altaf Hamid Rao,

MUZAFFARABAD: Sardar Masood Khan, President of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Wednesday asked Special Communication Organization (SCO) to upgrade its telecom infrastructure across AJK to help the government provide specialized telehealth facilities to the patients and distance education to the students in far-flung areas.

“E-health and e-education are becoming a new reality of present time, which not only reduces unnecessary cost but also creates greater efficiencies and increase productivity,” the president said during his meeting with Direction General, Special Communication Organization, Major General Ali Farhan.

The DG SCO called on President Masood Khan at Aiwan-e- Sadr here and briefed him about the telecommunication facilities being provided to the people of Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan by his organization.

The President appreciated the efforts of SCO for providing telecom facilities to the people of AJK and GB in a challenging environment since its inception in 1976. He urged the management of the organization to further upgrade their services to facilitate the students in remote areas to use technology in the classrooms for enhancing the learning functions and improving academic performance.

The Information Technology Board of AJK government will fully cooperate with the SCO in putting in place such facilities in different areas of Azad Kashmir, the President maintained.

Emphasizing on the need of close cooperation and coordination between public sector universities of Azad Kashmir and the Special Communication Organization, AJK President said hundreds of graduates passing out every year from the universities with degrees in various technologies including telecom can be absorbed in the organization.

The President also underlined that people living along the Line of Control (LoC) especially those in Haveli and Neelum Valley should be provided with both landline and mobile phone services on a priority basis. “The provision of phone services will significantly help address the problems being faced by the people living along the LoC,” Khan added.

He said that with its youthful and diverse population, Jehlum Valley area of Muzaffarabad and Hattian districts specifically can be the turned into Silicon Valley.

Speaking on the occasion, Director General Special Communication Organization, Major General Ali Farhan told President that SCO has been providing telecom facilities to the people of AJK and GB for over 40 years without much concern for profit- generation.