He underscored that the government’s digital policy aimed to bring economic prosperity and citizen empowerment through digital transformation. The vision of ‘Digital Pakistan’ was being pursued through various cross-sectorial digital transformation initiatives.
Efforts were being made to facilitate the IT sector by creating an enabling environment and an ecosystem through a broad range of legislative, policy, regulatory and operational initiatives, with a focus on inclusion to reap the full benefits of digitalisation.
The prime minister stated that the government’s focus was on achieving sustainable economic development and realising the full potential of technological advancement through the IT sector.
He acknowledged Pakistan’s significant growth in the information and communication technology sector in recent years, with the country’s ICT industry becoming a crucial contributor to the economy, generating revenue, attracting FDI and creating jobs.
“We are exporting IT and IT-enabled services to more than 190 countries. Our IT industry is an integral part of the knowledge economy, earning its reputation as a leading offshore outsourcing destination through innovation, talent availability, government incentives, and other initiatives. With over 90 percent tele-density, Pakistan was recently ranked as the second most financially attractive destination in the world for offshore outsourcing of IT and IT-enabled services (ITeS). Pakistan was also ranked as the third most popular country for freelancing.”
PM Kakar highlighted the role of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) and its committees in actively promoting various sectors, including the IT sector.
“We believe that the development of the IT sector will bring huge benefits to the nation. It will help create more employment opportunities, increase revenues, lift service sector exports, and boost foreign reserves.”
He expressed confidence that Pakistan, with its talented human resource base, digital infrastructure, entrepreneurial spirit and vision for digital transformation was on track to become a knowledge-based economy.
The prime minister informed the gathering that the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) had increased the number of Software Technology Parks (STPs) from eight to 30 and was in the process of establishing another 40 STPs in smaller cities across Pakistan.
Highlighting the government’s milestones, the premier mentioned achievements such as 50 percent foreign exchange retention, up-skilling and re-skilling of 100,000 individuals, centralized tests for IT students, the establishment of 10,000 Pakistan e-Rozgar Centres, Pakistan Startup Fund, approval of the Digital Economy Enhancement Project (DEEP), approval of Telecom Infrastructure Sharing Framework, establishment of Telecom Appellate Tribunal, and National Space Policy.
The prime minister asserted that the government’s efforts were leading Pakistan to emerge as one of the top online gig markets, with freelancers contributing from remote areas.
“The establishment of e-Rozgar/Co-working centres across Pakistan, supported by interest-free loans and assistance in training costs, aims to enhance partner capacities. This initiative aims to create an ecosystem where talented individuals can thrive. These spaces will not only serve as physical locations for work but also as hubs for knowledge exchange, skill development, and networking.”
In his address, Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Dr Umar Saif stated that the event was a continuation of the journey started six months ago under the Tech Destination initiative. He highlighted substantial progress in achieving goals and mentioned that under the SIFC, radical steps had been taken to facilitate IT firms, resulting in a 13 percent increase in IT revenue last month.
Saif called for the promotion of specialised and globally competitive skills to make youths immediately employable by IT firms after graduation. He announced that 65 E-Rozgar centres were already operational in Punjab, having trained 80,000 people so far.
To scale up the programme, the government planned to open 10,000 E-Rozgar Centres across the country, granting them the status of Special Technology Zones to enjoy tax exemptions.
Saif informed the gathering that starting from February, the government would launch a pilot project to enable 10,000 freelancers to receive funds from PayPal, with plans to expand it later.
