Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: State Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb on Thursday urged the corporate sector to invest in emerging film industry, music, and sports sectors of the country in order to do image building of Pakistan and also to promote its national identity at the international level.

She was speaking to 10th International Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Awards-2018 organized by National Forum for Environment and Health here at a hotel.

“The corporate sector of the country while sensing its social obligations should now focus on film industry, music, and sports for sake of image building of our country and to enhance its national identity in line with efforts of the government after waging the war against terrorism constantly for several years,” said minister.

She said that the present government had the full realization that during all the years it had waged the war against terrorism, the profitability and business done by corporate sector of the country had phenomenally decreased and so was the state of social responsibilities performed by them.

“Now the corporate sector of the country has been revived with war against terrorism drawing to a close, it is time that the corporate organizations along with other areas should also focus on these sectors to promote positive image and national identity of Pakistan for rest of the world,” Marriyum added.

She added that areas like film industry, music, and sports should be focused by the corporate sector like other social sectors where private companies did investment under their CSR-related obligations to do welfare and uplift work for less-privileged and impoverished communities of the country.

The minister praised the philanthropic work being done by the country’s corporate sector in all the important socio-economic sectors where the private sector did share responsibilities of the government for provision of fundamental facilities of life.

She said that corporate and private sectors had also been performing very well to impart training to youth of the country related to different technical skills so to help them earn decent livelihood and also enable them to fulfill their responsibilities for securing economic prosperity in the country.

She said that skill development was one area where the government and private sector worked shoulder-to-shoulder with each other to achieve a common goal that was very important for the cause of national building.

Marriyum claimed that she fully realized massive and good philanthropic and social work being done by the corporate sectors as she had done similar CSR-related work including fundraising for good causes earlier for 11 years during her association with World Wide Fund for Nature.

Earlier speaking on the occasion, Azad, Jammu & Kashmir President Sardar Masood Khan said that at the summit that Azad Kashmir had emerged as one of the regions of the country where proper waste disposal work should be launched on preferable basis.

“Lately people in increasing numbers from all over the country, from all the regions and provinces have started visiting every year our tourist spots including Neelum Valley, Leepa Valley, Pir Chinasi, Toli Pir, Banjosa Lake and others as these areas have become increasable accessible for masses,” said AJK president.

Published in Daily Times, January 19^th 2018.