Shibli vows to facilitate filmmakers, broadcasters for promoting country's soft image, generating foreign exchange

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz on Thursday vowed to promote the country’s soft image, besides generating foreign exchange by facilitating filmmakers, broadcasters, content generators to export their products to foreign audiences.

In his opening remarks in a conference entitled ‘Earning Foreign Exchange by Promoting Soft Power’ under Prime Ministers’ outreach initiative, the minister said Pakistan was facing the dearth of foreign exchange as there was a huge imbalance between the country’s imports and exports.

“The independence of an indebted country is compromised besides facing difficulties in making foreign policy,” he said adding that the exports should be enhanced for making the country economically strong.

The minister said the government had tasked various ministries and divisions to promptly resolve the issues of film industry by joint efforts on the pattern of National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC).

He said NCOC held daily meetings to discuss and analyze the latest situation about coronavirus and made consensus decisions to contain the spread of the pandemic.

The conference was organized by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting for identifying domestic and international support needed to improve the country’s comparative advantage in the media sector.

The forum was arranged to identify bottlenecks and hurdles in making quality films, develop specific roadmap that lays out roles, responsibilities and devise a strategy to smoothen the hurdles in exporting media products.

The minister said the conference was a first step in promoting soft image of the country abroad and earn foreign exchange by encouraging producers, broadcasters, filmmakers, content generators and artists to export their dramas, films, content, music, art etc to foreign audiences.

The conference is aimed at achieving the goal of earning more and more foreign exchange by promoting the country’s soft image through films, dramas.

“This is the start of the journey – work should be started on making quality movies and government will definitely facilitate the producers. The government will provide enabling environment to media,” he added.

Shibli said some foreign dramas had attracted the attention of the nation.

The people watched the dramas with enthusiasm, he said, adding a popular Turkish drama was being aired in Pakistan which had also given financial benefits to its producing country.

He urged the film producers and others to identify top countries where Pakistan might have a comparative advantage in media sector.

The suggestions should be sent to relevant ministries for prompt implementation, he added.