ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) launched its official DigitalPolicy in Islamabad earlier today, with a vision to “transform Pakistaninto a knowledge economy making IT the top contributor to Pakistan’sexports and job creation”.
Syed Ahmad presented the Policy and stated that a revised version would befinalized and made available before the Elections.
Imran Khan said that PTI would leverage technology to create jobs, increaseexports and curb corruption. In the process, it will aim to increasePakistan’s IT exports to $10 billion over the next 5 years.Principles Behind the Digital Policy
PTI is aiming to transform Pakistan into a knowledge economy by investmentin human capital. Asad Umar was vocal about the government playing the roleof a facilitator which enables the private sector rather than competes withit.
That’s reflected in the guiding principles behind the Digital Policy, whichare listed below.
1. To create an enabling environment instead of running businesses, training programs, and incubation centers 2. Long-term policies instead of shortcuts 3. Invest in human capital for a secure future 4. Focus more on the services sector 5. A shift from the industrial era to knowledge economy: changing mindsets
Establishment of a Centralized Knowledge Economy Authority
The driving force behind PTI’s Digital Policy will be a centralizedKnowledge Economy Authority.
The Authority will be headed by a CIO with equivalent powers to a Ministerof Pakistan. The organization will possess statutory powers forprocurement, policies, and regulations. The governing council – highlyqualified and agile in approach – shall include government and industrystakeholders making sure that the Ministries, Provinces, and Departmentsconform with the National Digital Strategy.
To boost the IT industry of the country, PTI has identified the followingareas where the previous governments have failed to deliver:1. Citizen Services and e-Government
PTI plans to initiate $2 billion digital transformation projects throughNational Digital Transformation Initiative which will facilitatepublic-private partnership, reduce corruption, open government data policy,data privacy laws through cybersecurity policies, create industry capacityand provide citizen services. The projects will also help attractinternational tech giants through centralized purchasing power.2. Human Capital Development
There will be 50,000 graduate scholarships from government colleges with anaim to produce 100,000 quality graduates per year. 120 new campuses oftier-1 universities will be established,
Mathematics and Science certifications will be introduced for secondaryschool teachers with salary incentives as well as professional trainingsupport programs to develop human capital.3. Exports and Market Access
Pakistan will be portrayed as a business/tourist-friendly country and theexpat community will be given leadership in positioning Pakistan. Theembassies will be provided with economic Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)while the staff including bureaucrats will be offered training.
There will be an emphasis on market access in bilateral trade talks forgreen passports.4. Infrastructure and Connectivity
The 1st year will see the establishment of Special Economic Zones.
5 major tech clusters will be established across Pakistan. World classoffice spaces of 25 million sq ft, internet adoption, broadbandpenetration, favorable tax policies, digital literacy programs, and 50,000seats call center space on flexible turnkey basis are some of thehighlights of the new Digital Policy.5. Innovation Ecosystem and Entrepreneurship
Emphasis will be laid on entrepreneurial culture and innovation ecosystemby organizing e-government hackathons, introducing city as a labinitiatives, tax benefits for startups, investor-friendly policies,future-oriented policies for companies, sales tax rationalization to 5%,incentives to solve local problems, access to government data and taxbenefits startups.6. Policies and Regulations
New nationally aligned digital policies and regulations will be formulatedto increase ease of doing business, reducing tax rates, increasingdocumented economy and tax net,
IP and copyrights courts will be established for the first time.
E-commerce stores and other marketplaces will get favorable policies and aspecial emphasis will be placed on transforming Pakistan into a cashlesssociety by boosting mobile payments.