Media reception Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan, the Pakistani Minister for Information and Broadcasting, during her meeting with members of the Pakistan Journalists Forum in Jeddah at the Consulate General of Pakistan, Tuesday. (SG photo by Fouzia Khan) JEDDAH: The Pakistani Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan, met Tuesday with members of the Pakistan Journalists Forum (PJF) at the Consulate General of Pakistan here and emphasized the importance of the media. She said that the Pakistani nation and Muslim Ummah are facing challenges for which there is urgent need of a strong media to portray the true picture of Pakistan and Islam, as no war can be won without the help of the media. “All those challenges which Pakistan and the Muslim Ummah are facing and going through cannot be overcome without the help of the media,” Dr. Awan said. She added: “I talked with Dr. Abdul Aziz Khojah, the Saudi Minister of Information about starting an Urdu language broadcasting channel under the Saudi TV channel and about giving us permission to open a Pakistani TV information bureau office in Saudi Arabia, which can work for the promotion of Islam and Pakistan,” she said. “This is very important in countering terrorist activities against Islam and Pakistan, and in improving the brotherly relations between our two countries. I have invited Dr. Khojah to visit Pakistan along with all the information ministers of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) member countries,” she said. Dr. Awan also condemned the killing of a Saudi diplomat in Karachi and said that the killing was a conspiracy to destroy the countries' relationship. “We are fighting against a mindset and we cannot eliminate it, but an investigation will tell us who was behind this act,” she said. “They are the true enemy of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.” Dr. Awan said her goodwill visit has been successful and a number of issues were discussed with Saudi authorities for the first time. She said that she is trying to arrange scholarships, on government and non-government levels, for Pakistani students living in Saudi Arabia to study in Saudi universities. Dr. Awan said that she appreciated the role of Saudi women in the development of the country. “I had a chance to meet with a number of Saudi women which has helped me understand the reality of Saudi women who are not in front but working from behind the scenes and are contributing to the development of the country. It was encouraging to have women-to-women interaction,” she said. She also said that through this visit she has learned more about the Kingdom's educational system and its empowerment of women. She stressed that cultural exchange is very important especially for young people. “We need to enhance bilateral ties on the business and cultural levels, and for that our embassy and consulate have an important role to play,” she said.
