Daily Times

Federal Minister for Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunication Amin Ul Haque on Tuesday said that IT exports had risen to $2.6 billion, which was less than $1 billion in 2020.

He said that $7.1 billion investment had been made in the telecommunication sector in the country and a good amount had been earned through the telecommunication sector. Addressing a MoU Signing ceremony for the establishment of the Health Incubator and Science & Technology Park at the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) of Karachi University (KU), he said that the signing of MoU with ICCBS was a good initiative for the future generation.

He said that a total of eight National Incubation Centres had been established in the country. The IT Minister, on the requisition of the KU Vice Chancellor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi, said that the Examination Centre of the Karachi University would be digitalized and endorsed the establishment of a medical college in the university.

He said that the vision of the government of Pakistan was ‘Digital Pakistan’.

Amin Ul Haque said that the federal cabinet and 44 ministries had been made paperless. He said that the Sindh government would also be transformed into digitalization.

The Minister said that his ministry had focused on three things including connectivity, skill development and IT friendly policy and its maintenance.

He said that the government invested Rs77 billion in the connectivity to facilitate the people of the country as they could smoothly perform their work and could do e-business. He further said that they got the smart phone manufacturing bill passed from the assembly and currently 28 companies were making mobiles in the country including Samsung and Nokia.

Amin Ul Haque said that the world’s famous search engine Google had opened its office in the country, and it was a big achievement. He said that Google provided 15000 scholarships to our students last year and this year they were providing 45000 scholarships. He hoped that the search engine would provide 450000 scholarships to the youth in 2024. On the occasion, Vice Chancellor of Karachi University (KU) Dr. Khalid Mahmood Iraqi, Patron-in-Chief ICCBS Prof. Dr. Atta-ur-Rehman, ICCBS Director Prof. Dr. M Iqbal Choudhry, CEO Pakistan Software Export Board Ali Raza, CEO Ignite Asim Shahryar Hussain, Member IT Junaid Imam, and Aziz Latif Jamal as well Nadira Panjwani also addressed the ceremony.

Later, talking to media persons, the IT Minister Amin Ul Haque said that Muttahida Qaumi Movement -Pakistan (MQM-P) believed in free, fair and transparent elections. Replying to a question, he said that the conduct of election was the responsibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) if they ask IT ministry for Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) then the ministry would work on it. Replying to another question regarding 5G, he said that IT ministry could not introduce 5G in the country due to the closure of Letter of Credits (LCs). He hoped that the upcoming government would introduce it in December or January 2024.

Earlier, the MoU was signed between Ministry of IT &Telecommunication and ICCBS by Member IT Junaid Imam and Director of ICCBS Prof. Dr. M. Iqbal Choudhry. Federal Minister for Information Technology & Telecommunication Syed Amin Ul Haque said on Tuesday that US $7.1 billion investment had been made in the telecommunication sector in the country with earning of billions of rupees.

He was addressing the ceremony to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of the Health Incubator and Science & Technology Park at the International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) of Karachi University (KU). The MoU was signed by Syed Junaid Imam, Member Ministry of IT & Telecom and Prof. Dr Iqbal Choudhary, Director ICCBS. The IT minister, on the request of KU Vice Chancellor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi, said the Examination Centre of the Karachi University would be digitalized, and directed the Member IT and Chief Executive Officer of National Information Technology Board to coordinate with the university management in that regard.

He said that under the MoU, the Pakistan Software Export Board would establish the Health Incubator and Science & Technology Park at the ICCBS.

“Our effort is to integrate information and communication technology and academia. The establishment of a health incubator in the university will greatly help medical start-ups, and that of a science and technology park will connect students to the digital world,” he added. The minister said the revolutionary steps taken by the incumbent government should have been done many decades ago. He said the Pakistani youths had a unique position in the world in terms of their ability and competence.

He said the MOITT through the Universal Service Fund spent Rs 77.8 billion on 83 projects to provide broadband services in the remote areas across Pakistan to facilitate the rural population as they could smoothly perform their work and connect to the digital world. He further said due to the ministry’s efforts, the smartphone manufacturing bill was passed by the Parliament and currently 28 companies, including Samsung and Nokia, were making mobiles phones.