Caretaker IT Minister, Dr. Umar Saif, announced that starting from January1, 2024, Pakistanis would have access to affordable ‘made in Pakistan’mobile phones available on installment plans. Dr. Saif expressed confidencethat mobile phones could be assembled and manufactured within Pakistan,with an anticipated average cost of approximately Rs15,000 per phone.
In a recent announcement, the Ministry of Information and Technology inIslamabad stated that it will not be involved in offering mobile phonesthrough installment plans.
The spokesperson for the IT Ministry, Ali Kazim, made it clear that theministry’s primary role is policy formulation and not the provision ofmobile phones on an installment basis.
Ali Kazim further explained that the current focus of the IT Ministry is onfacilitating mobile manufacturing companies in Pakistan to enhance theproduction of mobile phones within the country. While the scheme may leadto an increase in mobile phone production, the IT Ministry will onlyconsider offering mobile phones on installments as a means to stimulatedemand and supply, in alignment with the established policy framework.
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It is important to emphasize that the responsibility for providing mobilephones on installment plans lies with mobile manufacturers, telecomcompanies, and banks, and not with the IT Ministry.