Facebook refutes opening office in Pakistan

Earlier, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Advisor on science and technology Zia Ullah Bangash in an interview claimed that "Facebook will open its office in Pakistan along with other projects,"

Efforts to bring offices of big Social Media platforms to Pakistan including Facebook. #TechDrivenPakistan pic.twitter.com/ZBToiVlXdD

— Zia Ullah Bangash (@ZiaBangashPTI) March 28, 2021

However, the Facebook spokesperson denied the news in a statement issued to a media outlet, saying that Facebook is not planning to open an office in Pakistan.

Advisor to KP CM, in a recent interview aired on a private news channel, said that Facebook is coming up with three or four new projects in Pakistan and will also turn on 'monetization' (making money from videos) for Pakistani users, for which necessary legislation will be enacted. The National Assembly Speaker is also being contacted to help in this regard who has assured cooperation.

However, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser also tweeted in this regard.

Thumbs up to @ZiaBangashPTI for putting up tireless efforts in the IT sector in KP. He is very keen to take steps for promoting the IT sector and moving fast towards implementing Prime Minister @ImranKhanPTI #DigitalPakistan vision. 1/4

— Asad Qaiser (@AsadQaiserPTI) March 20, 2021

In a statement, given to local media Facebook spokesperson said: "We are continuing to invest in Pakistan through dedicated teams, services to the Pakistani market, and programmes such as SheMeansBusiness (which enhances the capacity of local people). But Facebook currently has no plans to open an office in Pakistan. "

He added: "Our community is international and we are working without an office in many countries of the world."