Latest news with #DigitalPakistan
Business Recorder
12-07-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Building digital Pakistan beyond big slogans
The story of transformation begins with a single keystroke, a child's first coding lesson, and a nation's unwavering belief in its future. South Korea's digital transformation began with massive investments in educational infrastructure. Singapore's smart nation initiative started with comprehensive teacher training. Estonia's digital society emerged from a commitment to technological innovation in schools. For decades, successive governments have treated education as an afterthought rather than the foundation of national development. The question isn't whether Pakistan can join the digital revolution or not, the more fundamental worry is whether we have the courage to reorder our priorities and invest in the minds that can lead it? While billions have been invested in the infrastructure and so called e-governance systems, the Pakistani government continued to neglect the education sector. The Digital Pakistan vision focused heavily on connectivity and digital services but failed to adequately address the fundamental challenge of preparing Pakistan's human capital for the digital age (who fundamentally are the users of this infrastructure). With over 60% of its population under the age of 30, Pakistan holds what economists call a 'demographic dividend', a youthful, dynamic workforce capable of driving prosperity. But this advantage is only meaningful if we equip our young people with the right skills, and the vision to use them. The foundation crises The transformation must begin where every great journey starts, in the classroom of a six-year-old. Pakistan's primary education system, serving over 22 million children, needs more than incremental improvements on paper, it demands a complete reimagining. The first pillar of Digital Pakistan lies in universal digital literacy. Every primary school student should have access to tablet-based learning platforms loaded with interactive content in Urdu, English, and regional languages. Countries like Rwanda have successfully implemented one-laptop-per-child programs that cost less than $200 per student annually, a fraction of what Pakistan spends on non-essential government projects. Teacher training represents the most critical investment. Every primary school teacher should receive certification in basic digital pedagogy, not as an additional burden but as an empowering tool. Master trainers from leading universities like LUMS and NUST could develop cascading training programs, creating a network of digitally fluent educators reaching every corner of Pakistan. Certainly. Here's a concise and impactful version: Digital transformation will break down geographical barriers, enabling students and educators from remote villages to access the same high-quality resources, lectures, and expertise that have long been confined to major urban centres. This democratization of knowledge can level the playing field and unlock the full potential of talent across the entire nation. Building digital citizens As students progress to secondary education, the focus shifts from digital literacy to digital fluency. Secondary schools should establish 'Innovation Labs' where students learn coding, robotics, and digital design. What is being taught at colleges should move down to school level. These labs don't require massive investments, they need strategic partnerships with leading tech companies who could sponsor equipment and provide mentorship through rotation programs serving multiple schools per district. The curriculum overhaul must be comprehensive yet practical. Computer science should be mandatory, but equally important are digital literacy modules integrated into traditional subjects. Students could create documentary films about local heritage, develop apps for identifying local flora and fauna, and publish digital magazines showcasing regional writers. Pakistan's linguistic diversity (with over 70 languages spoken) could become a competitive advantage in creating multilingual digital content. Centres of excellence and innovation – blockchain and beyond The final stage of transformation is with the Higher Education in Pakistan. Local universities must transform from knowledge consumers to knowledge creators. The country's 200+ universities vary dramatically in quality, but this diversity can become a strength through strategic resource sharing. Leading institutions like NUST, the University of Punjab and Quaid-i-Azam University should establish 'Digital Knowledge Hubs' that smaller universities can access, providing online courses, virtual laboratory access, and research collaboration platforms. The higher education curriculum needs radical and urgent updating. Engineering programs should integrate artificial intelligence and machine learning from the first year. Business schools should focus on digital entrepreneurship and e-commerce. Medical schools should incorporate telemedicine and digital health technologies. International partnerships can amplify these efforts exponentially through dual degrees, research collaborations, and faculty exchanges. Universities must take the lead in exploring and integrating cutting-edge technologies like blockchain, quantum computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT) into their academic and research agendas. Blockchain, for instance, offers transformative potential for secure digital identities, transparent public services, and tamper-proof academic credentials , innovations that can directly address many of Pakistan's governance and trust deficits. By establishing dedicated research centres and industry partnerships around these emerging technologies, universities can position Pakistan not just as a consumer, but as a creator of next-generation solutions. This academic leadership is essential to ensure the country keeps pace with global innovation and builds a future-ready economy. Economic transformation Digital Pakistan's economic impact extends far beyond education. A digitally literate workforce attracts international investment, creates high-value jobs, and develops innovative solutions to local challenges. Countries like Estonia, Singapore, and South Korea have demonstrated how educational transformation drives economic growth. The IT sector could become Pakistan's largest export industry. With improved education, the country could produce world-class software developers, digital marketers, and tech entrepreneurs. Pakistani firms could compete globally in artificial intelligence, fintech, and e-commerce. The current IT exports of $2.6 billion could grow to $25 billion within a decade with proper educational investment. Traditional industries would also benefit from digital transformation. Agriculture could adopt precision farming techniques, manufacturing could implement Industry 4.0 technologies, and services could leverage digital platforms for growth. Small businesses could access global markets through e-commerce platforms developed by Pakistani entrepreneurs. The social revolution Digital transformation has the power to weave the entire nation into a unified digital golden thread, connecting regions, communities, and individuals through shared platforms for learning, collaboration, and innovation. By breaking down geographical and social barriers, it allows students in Gilgit to access the same quality of education as those in Lahore, and entrepreneurs in Balochistan to connect with global markets just as easily as their counterparts in Karachi. Crucially, it also opens doors for women and girls, especially in conservative or underserved areas, to learn, earn, and lead from within their own homes, reducing gender inequality and empowering a new wave of social mobility. A unified, inclusive digital ecosystem doesn't just modernise Pakistan, it redefines who gets to shape its future. The path forward Beyond big slogans, the journey toward Digital Pakistan requires immediate action across multiple fronts. Infrastructure development comes first, every school needs reliable internet connectivity through expanded fiber optic networks and subsidized access. Funding mechanisms must be innovative and sustainable. The government should establish an 'Education Technology Fund' supported by taxes on digital services and international partnerships. Private companies should receive tax incentives for educational investments, while alumni networks contribute to scholarship funds and infrastructure development. Public-private partnerships can accelerate implementation. International tech companies establishing operations in Pakistan should contribute to educational development. Local companies should adopt schools and provide ongoing support. Diaspora communities should engage as mentors and funding sources. The moment of truth Pakistan possesses unique advantages that other digitally transformed nations lacked. Our large population provides scale for digital solutions. Our cultural diversity offers rich content for educational platforms. Our diaspora community provides global connections and expertise. Our young demographic ensures rapid adoption of new technologies. The timeline for digital transformation is surprisingly short. With dedicated efforts, Pakistan could achieve universal digital literacy in primary schools within five years, comprehensively digitize secondary education within seven years, and bring universities to international standards within a decade. The economic benefits would begin appearing within three years and accelerate rapidly thereafter. The roadmap is quite clear, train teachers, update curricula, and foster innovation. The resources are available through creative partnerships and international cooperation. What's missing is the political will to prioritise education over short-term gains and the social commitment to embrace change. The article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Business Recorder or its owners
Express Tribune
11-07-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Meta to help advance digitalisation
Listen to article Pakistan and an international technology company have explored the potential of advancing digitalisation, promoting the role of artificial intelligence (AI) and enhancing cooperation in public sector innovation and capacity building. Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja held a meeting on Thursday with a high-level delegation from Meta, led by Sarim Aziz, Director of South and Central Asia Public Policy. The minister highlighted the government's strong commitment to the Digital Pakistan vision, noting that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chairs a weekly review meeting on national transition towards a cashless economy. She reiterated that building a digitally empowered society was central to the prime minister's vision of Digital Pakistan, where emerging technologies play a pivotal role in governance, service delivery and economic transformation. Meta's team briefed the minister on the company's latest developments in AI, including the LLaMA open-source models, generative AI applications for the public sector and progress on local language models including Urdu.
Express Tribune
16-06-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Budget: will it power tech economy or stall its promise?
Listen to article The federal budget for FY 2025-26 arrives at a critical juncture. As Pakistan grapples with economic fragility, youth unemployment and declining investor confidence, the technology sector still offers one of the few credible paths towards sustainable growth. But even this promise risks fading, choked by a familiar cycle of lofty declarations with little follow-through. For years, slogans like Digital Pakistan, IT exports and Startup Pakistan have echoed across stages and press conferences. Yet these remain ceremonial, rarely backed by budgetary or institutional commitment. The FY26 budget, like many before it, acknowledges the sector but stops short of empowering it. References to digitisation and startups are there but feel like afterthoughts. There is no substantial allocation to expand fibre broadband or improve rural connectivity. These are foundational requirements for any meaningful digital economy. The Universal Service Fund remains underpowered. Key areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing and cybersecurity are barely acknowledged. These are not futuristic ambitions. They are current global imperatives. The neglect of public cloud infrastructure is particularly telling. Around the world, governments are investing in sovereign cloud to ensure data control, cybersecurity and efficient citizen services. Meanwhile, Pakistan continues to rely on outdated hosting and procurement models while spending heavily on foreign software licences. We have not created the policy or regulatory environment that would attract global players like Microsoft, Oracle or Amazon to establish localised cloud zones in the country. This is not just about reducing costs. Localising global cloud infrastructure means protecting national data, supporting critical fintech and public services, improving cybersecurity and restoring investor confidence. Countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia and even Kuwait have been able to achieve this successfully. Pakistan, despite its population and potential, has not. The reason is not capability. It is the lack of political will and policy coherence. To move forward, fiscal incentives are not enough. We need a complete overhaul of our licensing systems, a clear cloud procurement framework and enforceable data protection policies that support international standards and welcome strategic investment. Our underperforming technology exports are another missed opportunity. Despite talent and diaspora strength, Pakistan's IT and IT-enabled services exports remain flat at around $3 billion. Delegations continue to travel to international expos labeled as promotion, yet few convert into meaningful outcomes. We lack market intelligence, follow-up mechanisms and synergy with embassies or trade bodies. The country must shift from exhibition-based engagement to targeted market expansion. That means using data to identify high demand regions, strengthening diaspora commercial diplomacy and aligning visa, trade and marketing policies accordingly. Forex Retention Cards and a robust Digital Export Facilitation Portal can reduce friction and support growth. Startups in Pakistan also remain underserved. Early stage capital is scarce. Regulatory inconsistency deters innovation. Public innovation agencies like Ignite are underfunded. Gender inclusive policy support is largely symbolic. And there is minimal room for experimentation in areas like fintech, healthtech, agritech or education technology. Pakistan needs a government-backed Tech Growth Fund, tax holidays for early stage startups and regulatory sandboxes that allow innovation to mature. Grants for women-led ventures are not just desirable, they are essential if we want to build an inclusive technology economy. All of this is complicated by a harsh and fragmented tax regime. Advance income taxes, overlapping provincial levies and ambiguous procedures punish digital businesses. Freelancers and software exporters struggle with remitting earnings. The FY26 budget has ignored these fundamental friction points. It is time to reinstate long-term tax exemptions for digital exporters, introduce zero rating for in-house developed software and unify digital taxation through a single window. Otherwise, we risk driving our best talent out of the country while chasing token foreign exchange. Behind these gaps is a more systemic failure. There is no central authority responsible for driving digital transformation across government. Ministries and agencies continue to operate in silos, leading to duplicated projects, inconsistent platforms and wasted resources. The establishment of a Central Digital Governance Authority is not a luxury. It is a national need. This body must have legal authority and cross-institutional mandate to drive implementation, track performance and ensure accountability across public sector initiatives. Another missed opportunity is talent development. The budget refers to skills but offers no strategy to future proof the workforce. What we need is not more unstructured training but a national education model aligned with global demand. Leading tech nations invest in talent as their core asset. Pakistan has the youth but not the planning. A National Digital Skills Fund must be created in partnership with global tech providers such as Microsoft, Cisco and AWS. The school curriculum must be upgraded to embed STEM skills and computational thinking. Skilling must be scalable, industry driven and outcome based. We cannot outsource this to non-profits and hope to compete globally. In the end, the FY26 budget appears more focused on fiscal optics than digital transformation. It may satisfy IMF checklists but it does little to address the urgency of economic reinvention. Other nations are building cloud parks, launching national AI strategies and attracting tech investment at scale. We are still debating whether digital transformation is viable. It is not just viable. It is vital. Pakistan's technology economy can be the engine that drives us out of crisis. But engines need fuel, direction and commitment. That means infrastructure. That means policy. That means institutional leadership. We must move from ceremonial launches to systemic reform, from scattered events to connected ecosystems and from policy talk to measurable performance. The world will not wait for us to catch up. Neither will our young people. The time to act was yesterday. The time to recover it is today. The writer is ex-MPA of the provincial assembly of Sindh, tech professional and education and child rights activist
Express Tribune
28-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
IT sector seeks policy continuity
Pakistan Freelancers Association Chairman Ibrahim Amin cautioned against increasing tax rates on freelancers, who already pay taxes on every transaction in addition to fees charged by freelancing platforms and payment gateway service providers. photo: REUTERS Listen to article Key stakeholders of the IT industry have urged the government to continue reforms and extend incentives for the significant growth of the IT sector and its allied fields to enhance export earnings and create jobs for youth, in line with the objectives of the futuristic "Uraan Pakistan" economic plan. They called for incorporating their recommendations in the upcoming federal budget 2025-26 to enable the IT sector to grow faster, generate more employment opportunities, and contribute more effectively to strengthening the national economy. They also stressed the need for continuity of existing policies and resolution of regulatory and tax-related challenges in the finance bill for 2025-26, particularly for the IT industry and freelancers, to help accelerate sectoral growth and development. Khushnood Aftab, Convener of the IT Committee at the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI), recommended that the government reduce import duties on essential hardware components such as RAM, SSDs, motherboards, batteries, and displays. This would support the local assembly of fully built imported devices like laptops, desktops, and tablets, fostering local value addition and attracting investment in domestic production facilities. He noted that increased support for the localisation of computer devices and hardware accessories could help Pakistan conserve foreign exchange, create skilled jobs, and position itself as a competitive exporter in regional markets. The locally branded IT hardware sector, he added, deserves focused attention as it directly aligns with the "Made in Pakistan" initiative and the broader Digital Pakistan vision. Furthermore, he emphasised the urgent need for the fair inclusion of local brands in government procurement, which would encourage scale, improve quality, and support domestic industry without compromising standards. Pakistan must also prepare for the growing demand for AI-integrated hardware and edge computing devices, he said, which could be achieved through the introduction of targeted Research and Development (R&D) tax credits and innovation grants to support companies working on emerging technologies within the country, said Khushnood Aftab, who is also Chairman Viper Group. Muhammad Umair Nizam, Senior Vice Chairman of the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA), said the IT sector is a key driver of economic growth, job creation, and foreign investment. He stressed that extending the Final Tax Regime (FTR) for the next decade would provide the policy stability necessary to encourage reinvestment and help Pakistan maintain its competitive edge in global markets. He also urged the government to harmonise the definitions of IT and Information Technology Enabled Services (ITeS) across federal and provincial tax laws to ensure consistency, eliminate jurisdictional ambiguities, and reduce compliance burdens. A unified framework, he said, would enhance investor confidence, streamline taxation, and promote sectoral growth by creating a predictable regulatory environmentultimately strengthening Pakistan's digital economy and competitiveness. Equally important, he said, is reducing income tax for salaried IT professionals, which would help retain top talent and mitigate the ongoing brain drain. Pakistan Freelancers Association Chairman Ibrahim Amin cautioned against increasing tax rates on freelancers, who already pay taxes on every transaction in addition to fees charged by freelancing platforms and payment gateway service providers. He recommended that the government exempt freelancers and IT companies from withholding tax (WHT) on international transactions under the Exporters' Special Foreign Currency Account (ESFCA) in the upcoming finance bill, following the concurrence of the Ministry of Finance and Revenue. He also urged the finance division to ensure that all features of the Roshan Digital Account (RDA) be extended to ESFCAs for IT companies and freelancers, enabling them to benefit from streamlined banking services and improved access to capital.
Express Tribune
19-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Deadline extended for PM's youth laptop scheme
Listen to article The Prime Minister's Youth Laptop Scheme has extended its registration deadline from May 20 to June 1, giving students across Pakistan additional time to apply for free laptops under the government's flagship digital empowerment initiative. An official from the Prime Minister's Youth Programme said on Monday that the extension opens 'a new window of opportunity for students to enhance their digital literacy and academic performance.' Last month, the federal government officially relaunched the Prime Minister's Youth Laptop Scheme for 2025, aiming to distribute 100,000 laptops to high-achieving students nationwide. The application deadline was set for May 20, 2025. Breaking news! 🚨 The registration deadline for the Prime Minister's Youth Laptop Scheme (PMYLS) has been extended till June 1st, 2025. Don't miss this opportunity to apply and empower your future! Visit: #YouthEmpowerment #PMYP #DigitalPakistan — Prime Minister's Youth Programme (@PMsYouthProgram) May 17, 2025 The scheme, part of a broader push to promote smart education, aims to distribute 100,000 laptops to talented students pursuing higher education in public sector universities and institutions. According to the programme guidelines, students enrolled in PhD, MS/MPhil, Bachelor's, or Master's programmes are eligible to apply. Applicants must meet minimum academic criteria: a CGPA of 2.80 or 60% marks. First-year students are required to submit HSSC results, while MS/PhD students in their first semester must provide transcripts of their previous degree. Read More: PM laptop scheme 2025 reopens for students: How to apply A quota system has been introduced to ensure representation, with 18% of the laptops reserved for students from Balochistan and 5% for distance learners. The latter category will be split equally between students of Virtual University and Allama Iqbal Open University. 'Only currently enrolled students are eligible,' the official noted. 'Those who have already graduated are not entitled to benefit from the scheme, even if they had applied during their studies.' Students can register via the Prime Minister's Digital Youth Hub (DYH) app or the official website A 15-day window will be provided to raise objections after the provisional merit list is published, followed by the release of a final merit list. Read More: Punjab laptop scheme: Who is eligible, and how to register? The programme's implementation is being closely monitored for transparency and merit-based selection. According to officials, the scheme's website has seen a surge in traffic, with thousands of students already submitting their applications. The initiative, now in its fourth phase, is being hailed as a symbol of hope and a strategic investment in Pakistan's future. 'By bridging the digital divide and providing access to technology, we are empowering our youth to compete globally,' the official added.
