Information Technology Policy of Pakistan

Definitions of Data:

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Main Focus of Document:

Outlines Pakistan's plan to provide an enabling environment for IT development

Target Beneficiaries or Sectors:

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Key Elements:

The salient features of the policy include:

Human Resource Development • Produce 50,000 high quality IT Graduates annually within 7 years to meet the multi billion dollar export target • Impart vocational training to over 100,000 Knowledge workers for IT enabled services within 2 years • Develop world class Institutions of Higher Learning in the field of IT • Strengthen faculty and infrastructure of existing universities

Infrastructure Development
• Develop a modern countrywide telecom infrastructure and make it affordable • Encourage active participation of the private sector through accelerated deregulation • Develop Pakistan into a regional hub for telecommunication and information flow • Launch a Geo Satellite to extend telecommunication broadcasting facilities to remote areas within Pakistan and neighbouring countries • Establish a chain of modern self-contained IT Technology Parks throughout the country • Increase internet accessibility through the Universal Internet Access Program, including by lowering bandwidth prices

Efficiency and Transparency in Government • Re-engineer archaic government processes to improve efficiency • Introduce IT to speed up the flow of information and track processing • Convert data from paper to electronic form so that it is available online for improved transparency and accountability • Measure the functional performance of the government machinery in quantifiable terms

Improve Services to Citizens
• Make government information and forms available to citizens online • Bring significant improvement in services like bill payment, agency specific applications, complaint handling, etc. • Eliminate the time spent by citizens waiting in long queues

Stimulate the Domestic Economy • Create jobs and economic growth in the local economy by strengthening the IT industry • Apply IT to traditional industries to increase productivity • Create the environment to facilitate e-commerce • Facilitate the automation of banks and other sectors to improve the general business climate

Increase Exports • Generate a 50-fold increase in the direct export of IT and IT-enabled services within 5 years • Leverage IT to help the traditional export industry become more competitive in the international market • Widen the export base with the help of an e-commerce infrastructure

2.3 Enabling Measures 2.3.1 IT Law To facilitate e-commerce and other online transactions requiring digital signature and authentication, the IT Law has been drafted and reviewed with the Law Ministry. This Ordinance, when promulgated, will open the way for electronic transactions by providing legal cover. The draft ordinances for these laws and the Intellectual Property Law are expected to be finalized soon.

2.3.2 IT Accreditation The proliferation of IT training institutes all over the country has been a good sign in terms of promoting IT education. However, it has introduced varying degrees of quality standards. To protect the students against enrolling in sub-standard institutions the government has initiated an IT Accreditation program. This program will be supported by an Ordinance that has been drafted and is currently being reviewed by the concerned Ministries. An accreditation body will be set up to accredit degree and diploma awarding institutions.

2.4. Electronic Government Programme The aim of this programme is to embark upon an aggressive effort to improve efficiency within government and provide quality services to the citizens of Pakistan through the induction of IT at all levels of government. The main objectives that the government aims to achieve out of the implementation of this programme are the following:

(i) Improve the internal efficiency of government operations of all divisions/departments of the government • Improvement in productivity of government employees by automating functions like meeting management, decision tracking, diary, scheduling, e-mail and mail management • Reduction in cost of operation of government in the long term by reducing time and effort spent in information search, retrieval and dissemination within the government • Reduction in the cycle time for responsiveness to citizens • Creation of synergies between various government functions through deployment of IT-enabled applications and systems • Enablement of quick adoption of IT in government through enhancement of the skills of government employees

(ii) Improve quality of service delivery to citizens • Reduction in the cost of service to citizens by providing general information e.g. address / contact numbers, notifications, SROs, rules and regulations etc. to the public through government portal • Improvement in delivery of information and services to the general public within and outside the country • Provision of services like electronic payment of utility bills through a network of kiosks • Online availability and submission of all forms of the Government of Pakistan • Provision of general information to the citizens like Educational Institutes Locator, Medical Aid Assistance, Information on Haj, Zakat and Ziarah
• Ensure transparency in government-public interactions