Islamabad (HRNW) Information Technology Minister Amin ul Haque on Thursday assured that the paid Google apps will not shut down in Pakistan after the telcos have been given a month to clear payments.
The fear of Google paid apps becoming unavailable for users in Pakistan emerged after the central bank suspended the direct carrier billing (DCB) mechanism.
After telecom operators appealed to the IT ministry for assistance in the matter, a letter was written to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for resolving the issue and extending time frame to clear payments.
The finance minister accepted IT minister’s suggestion.
Consequently, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Finance Tariq Bajwa contacted IT minister and informed that the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had been asked to delay the implementation of payment policy for a month.
Haque said that the IT and finance ministries and central bank will formulate a new plan after consultation. However, he added that Google apps will not cease to function.