Pakistan accords immense importance to its relations with the European Union and espouses values of democracy, plurality, and rule of law, said Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting & National Heritage during a meeting with Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan Jean-Francois Cautain who called on her here on Friday.
The ambassador and the minister discussed various matters pertaining to cooperation in the field of media, information, and culture.
The ambassador assured the minister of the extension of all possible help to Pakistan in the field of media, information, and culture. He also invited the minister to join the celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.
Acknowledging the role of media in shaping minds and creating awareness, Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the ministry of information was working on an elaborate plan to impart professional training to media persons with a view to harness their skills and expertise. She expressed hope for support and cooperation from the EU in this regard.
The minister of state said that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif firmly believed in freedom of expression as it was sine quo non for democracy and free society. She informed the EU ambassador that the ministry of information, broadcasting and national heritage had begun a myriad of initiatives to ensure the welfare of media persons as well as the preservation of national heritage with the objective to promote Pakistan’s the mitigate misperceptions about its people.
Marriyum Aurangzeb said that her ministry was working on formulating a comprehensive film production and broadcast policy – the first of its kind – to revive the indigenous entertainment industry, national heritage, culture, and tourism.
She said that quality production would create awareness among the masses about developments in the socio-economic domain, issues of national importance, and their responsibilities.
