The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf has unveiled its digital policy weeks before the election, with a vision to “transform Pakistan into a knowledge economy, making Information Technology the top contributor to Pakistan’s exports and job creation”.
The party, which is being termed one of the leading contestants in the upcoming elections scheduled for July 25, promises that it would be taking up the following 14 initiatives once it comes into power.
- $2 billion set aside for national digital transformations and provision of different services to citizens through mobile.
- Using technology to open government data to increase transparency
- IT education for 50,000 students
- Establishment of 120 new campuses to produce 100,000 technology graduates/year
- Mathematics and Science teacher training and certification program
- Five new major technology clusters (Special Economic Zones)
- A focus will be on creating enabling environment for start-ups and entrepreneurs.
- 50,000 call center seats available on a turn-key basis
- One window operation to register a new company
- A global PR campaign involving expat community
- Visa issuance on green passport for businessmen and professionals
- Simplification of processes for foreign ownership of companies
- Public-Private Partnership on projects
- Target will be set to increase the global ranking of Pakistan in ease of doing business
The digital policy, as outlined by PTI, has been designed to kill the dearth of jobs, the policy would also increase the software-related exports and will maximize the use of technology to increase transparency and curb corruption.
The policy doesn’t only talk about IT and startups, rather it addresses different core education-related steps too that would be taken to improve the tech-related expertise in the long run.
