Tech company delegation discusses IT related matters with Shaza Fatima A delegation of tech company ZTE on Monday called on Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja. inp Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja Monday said that the training of young Pakistanis in information technology and artificial intelligence, with assistance from Huawei, will begin next month. Participating in the budget debate, she said that during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to China, it was agreed that Huawei would train 200,000 young people in the information technology sector. Shaza Fatima said that the present government is taking effective steps to promote Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the country. She said that under the vision of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, the youth of the country are being given training in information technology. She said that the youth make up 70 percent of the country’s population and the government is determined to equip them with IT training so they can secure jobs. She said that the government would train around 150,000 young people in the IT sector, who will then play a vital role in the country’s economy. The minister said that a three to six-month IT course would enable the youth to earn a respectable income in both local and international markets. She recalled that during the government of Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, about 100,000 young people were trained. Shaza added that during the same period, youth were provided with interest-free loans and scholarships. The minister mentioned that students were given laptops by the then-government on merit and without any discrimination. The minister said that during the last government, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had distributed 100,000 laptops among the youth of the country. She recalled that as Chief Minister, Shehbaz Sharif had established E-Rozgar centers and E-libraries for the youth. She said that funds have been allocated in the PSDP for the establishment of IT parks in Islamabad and Karachi. Due to steps taken by the government, IT exports have reached 2.6 billion dollars and are expected to reach 3 billion dollars next year. The minister said that the government is determined to increase IT exports to 25 billion dollars.