ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday ordered submission of a comprehensive plan to promote IT exports.
He said the government will take steps to fully utilize the country’s billion-dollar IT export potential, besides providing the youth with the necessary facilities for education, skill development and startups.
The Prime Minister chaired a review meeting on the IT and telecommunication sector. The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, Minister for Economy and Public Administration Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja, State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmed, Shahzad Saleem and relevant senior officials, the PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister said that during their previous tenure, he had witnessed the positive outcome of the initiation of various projects in the IT sector.
He focused on solving all banking related problems of startups, freelancers and IT companies.
He expressed his satisfaction with the volume of IT exports exceeding USD 3 billion in the current year and highlighted its further increase.
To bring Pakistan’s IT sector up to international standards, they would have to work hard, he noted.
The prime minister also asked for a comprehensive report on special technology zones.
The meeting was briefed on the progress on the IT package announced by the Prime Minister in June 2023.
During the previous tenure, thanks to the special attention of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, IT exports registered a 13 percent increase during the first seven months of the current fiscal year compared to the previous corresponding year.
A total of 4 million students in 17 groups were trained under the Digiskills program, 28 percent of whom were women. Pakistan has emerged as the second best country in the world based on the number of freelancers. Pakistan exported IT products to 170 countries of the world, it added.
The meeting was informed that an investment of $400 million had been made in Pakistani startups during the previous year.
The Prime Minister ordered to take all necessary, legal and political steps to attract investment and boost IT exports.
He also asked for the acceleration of work on projects aimed at strengthening the professional and technical training of youth for the full use of the potential in the IT sector.
The meeting was also briefed on the steps and progress in IT, E Rozgar, startups, cyber security, telecom sector and 5-G launch.
