Network of state of the art Information Technology Parks is being established in all provinces and regions of the country in a phased manner for providing launching pads to the young professionals for executing their innovative ideas and thus also contributing their share towards building a strong and stable national economy.
The Information Technology Parks would not only be generating substantial employment opportunities for IT professionals but also go a long way in attracting precious foreign exchange, boosting the IT industry and increasing exports as and when these are completed and become operational one after the other.
Currently work on establishment of IT Parks in Karachi at a huge cost of Rs 41 billion and in Islamabad at an estimated cost of Rs 13.727 billion is underway and making steady progress as per schedule of work. Both these IT Parks in Karachi and Islamabad and scheduled to be completed in 30 months each. As already reported in these pages, foundation stone of IT Park in Karachi was laid just couple of months of back whereas foundation stone of IT Park in Islamabad at Chak Shehzad was also laid in the first week of May 2022. Both the foundation stone laying ceremonies were performed by Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Syed Aminul Haq.
IT Parks in Karachi and Islamabad on completion are expected to generate employment opportunities for around 35000 IT professionals together.
According to information available from IT and Telecommunication Ministry sources, IT Park in Islamabad would consist of a 12 storied (including two basements) self-contained building having a covered area of 66893 square meters. It would initially provide office space for around 120 start-ups and small to medium enterprises and other ancillary facilities such as testing laboratories, classrooms, industry-academia linkage centre, auditorium etc.
Presently, the total number of software technology parks ((STPs) in Pakistan is 15 including 3 in Islamabad, two in Rawalpindi, 8 in Lahore and one each in Karachi and Gilgit.
The sources indicated that the ministry wants to establish software technology parks throughout the country in both small and big cities. Already, Pakistan Software Export Board was working on establishing software technology parks in Quetta, Gwadar, Bannu, Mardan, Swat, Sukkur, Hyderabad and Faisalabad.
Ministry for Information Technology and Telecommunication was implementing 35 major and minor ongoing and new schemes at a total estimated cost of Rs 96540.258 million including foreign aid of Rs 54951.835 million under the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for financial year 2022-23
All these ongoing and new projects have since been discussed and approved at the appropriate level of Departmental, Central Development Working Parties and the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC).
