Information technology in Pakistan

Information technology in Pakistan is a growing industry that has the potential to expand more in the future. Matters relating to the IT industry are overseen by the Ministry of Information Technology of the Government of Pakistan.[1][2][3] The IT industry is regarded as a successful sector of Pakistan economically, even during financial crisis.[4] The first IT policy and implementation strategy was approved under the leadership of Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman FRS, then Federal Minister of Science & Technology, in August 2000 which laid the foundations of the development of this sector.[5] Thereafter two policies were launched by the Ministry of IT under the leadership of Anusha Rahman Khan, Federal Minister for IT and Telecom (2013-2018). The Telecom Policy was announced in December 2015,[6] and later National Digital Pakistan Policy that was approved by the cabinet in May 2018.[7] In 2001, a 15 year tax holiday was approved to promote the IT industry which has the grown from $ 30 million to over $ 3 billion during the last 16 years.[8] A nationwide programme to train teachers was initiated by Intel in March 2002 in Pakistan on the request of Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman which has resulted in the training of 220,000 teachers across 70 districts at no cost to the government.[9] The government of Pakistan has given incentives to IT investors in the country during the last decade, this resulted in the development of the IT sector. From 2003 to 2005, the country's IT exports saw a rise of about fifty percent and amounted a total of about 48.5 million USD. The World Economic Forum, assessing the development of Information and Communication Technology in the country ranked Pakistan 111th among 144 countries in the Global Information Technology report of 2014.[10].In an analysis of scientific research productivity of Pakistan, in comparison to Brazil, Russia, India and China, Thomson Reuters has applauded the developments that have taken place as a result of the reforms introduced by Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman FRS, since Pakistan has emerged as the country with the highest increase in the percentage of highly cited papers in comparison to the "BRIC" countries.[11]

As of 2011, Pakistan has over 20 million internet users and is ranked as one of the top countries that have registered a high growth rate in internet penetration.[12] Overall, it has the 27th largest population of internet users in the world. In the fiscal year 2012–2013, the Government of Pakistan aims to spend Rs. 4.6 billion on information technology projects, with emphasis on e-government, human resource and infrastructure development.[13]

The period from 2013 to 2018 witnessed landmark revolution in the sector after the launch of 3g/4g technologies and IT industry is booming. [14]

E-government
Main article: E-Government in Pakistan

The Government of Pakistan has attached great importance to information technology, as part of its efforts to develop an "information age" in the country.[15] In this regard, an elaborate national IT policy was formulated under the leadership of Prof. Atta-ur-Rahman FRS in 2000, then Federal Minister of Science & technology.[16] Through a focus on the technological development of information technology, the government aims to increase productivity in the public sector, improve the standards of IT infrastructure in the country and use it as a management tool for the promotion of good governance in general. There has been remarkable progress in creating effective computerised e-government systems in Pakistan for major departments such as police, law enforcement agencies and district administration.[15] The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has also introduced computerised registration systems for issuing important documents such as national identity cards, passports, and permanent residency cards. IT has also been critically important in improving work procedures of the civil service and other government-related fields.[15]

According to a study published by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Pakistan has been highly exposed to information technology while pursuing the concepts of e-governance and e-commerce:

Pakistan's communication system is also reliable. This has now fully graduated into the email, Internet and IT culture perse. The country is fast exploring the brave new world of information technology and keenly assimilating the requirements of e-government and e-commerce. Information technology has opened a new business frontier for Pakistan. The government is assigning high priority to information technology both in terms of policy limelight and resource allocation.

— United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, 2002[17]

Local-language computing

In 1994, an Indian software company- Concept Software Pvt Ltd,[1] led by Rarendra Singh & Vijay Gupta, with the collaboration of a UK company called Multilingual Solutions led by Kamran Rouhi, developed InPage Urdu for Pakistan's newspaper industry

Urdu
Further information: Urdu Informatics, Urdu keyboard, and Urdu localization of open-source software

The Center for Research in Urdu Language Processing conducts research and development in linguistic and computational aspects of Urdu, as well as other languages of Pakistan, in areas such as speech processing, computational linguistics and script processing.[18]

Sindhi

Sindhi has also been digitised to make it easier to publish Sindhi newspapers, magazines and books. InPage also offers support for Sindhi with the proper fonts and ligatures which makes it easier for people to type in the Sindhi language without any difficulty.

Software development in Pakistan

Software development is a rapidly growing field in Pakistan; The government has initiated numerous programs to encourage software development and exports. Pakistani IT companies have begun developing software for use in different types of businesses and services. Locally made software packages are available for implementation in schools, hospitals, supermarkets and other businesses at low cost. Large control systems such as ERPs are also developed for use in large organisations which manufacture textiles, pharmaceuticals, food and beverages, etc. Also, the increasing use of Android smartphones, tablets and Apple iPads has given a great boost to the mobile applications development industry. Experts can easily develop these applications at home, with very low capital investment, as a personal computer and an Internet connection are the only things required to begin. Educational institutes have also begun offering diplomas and short-courses in software and applications development for young people.

Information Technology Education in Pakistan

With an understanding that technology could be a big boon to local exports and can simultaneously provide Pakistan with much needed foreign exchange, Pakistan has invested aggressively both in information technology education. [19]

See also

References
  1. https://moitt.gov.pk/.
  2. Jamshed Masood; Salman Malik (7 January 2008). "Pakistan". In Felix Librero (ed.). Digital Review of Asia Pacific 2007/2008. Sage Publications. p. 264. ISBN 978-0761936749. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  3. "Ministry of Information Technology". Government of Pakistan. Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  4. Peer Muhammad (18 May 2012). "Scholarship fund, IT centre for women announced". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  5. http://www.moit.gov.pk/moit/userfiles1/file/policies/Pakistan%20IT%20Policy%20%20Action%20Plan%202000.pdf
  6. https://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2015/12/12/ecc-approves-telecom-policy-2015/
  7. https://propakistani.pk/2018/05/23/cabinet-approves-digital-pakistan-policy/
  8. https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/197985-Pakistan-at-a-crossroads
  9. https://ictec.wordpress.com/2010/01/21/intel-ict-programs-in-pakistan/
  10. Farooq Baloch (6 May 2012). "As PSEB dallies, IT Park project in jeopardy". The Express Tribune. Retrieved 19 May 2012.
  11. http://ip-science.interest.thomsonreuters.com/incites-pakistan/
  12. "Internet users in Pakistan cross 20 million mark". The Express Tribune. 28 October 2011. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  13. "Govt to spend Rs 4.6b on IT projects". The Express Tribune. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
  14. http://www.dnanews.com.pk/pakistans-industry-boom/
  15. Mahmood, Sohail (2007). Good Governance Reform Agenda in Pakistan: Current Challenges. Nova Publishers. pp. 196–199. ISBN 9781600214189.
  16. http://www.sindh.gov.pk/PakistanITPolicyandActionplan.pdf
  17. United Nations. Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (2002). Development of the Automotive Sector in Selected Countries of the ESCAP Region: Proceedings and Country Papers Presented at the Regional Consultative Meeting on Promotion of Intraregional Trade and Economic Cooperation in the Automotive Sector. United Nations Publications. p. 85. ISBN 9789211201406.
  18. "Introduction". Center for Research in Urdu Language Processing. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  19. Ombudsman. "Education Sector Reform in Pakistan" (PDF). Higher Education Commission, Pakistan.
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