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Business Recorder
22-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
All components of innovation ecosystem being integrated for first time: Ahsan
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Professor Ahsan Iqbal said that 'for the first time, we are integrating all components of the innovation ecosystem, including civil-military fusion—mirroring the early development of Silicon Valley.' The minister chaired a high-level strategic meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday to review progress on the landmark initiative 'Quantum Valley Pakistan.' The meeting was attended by Dr Najeeb Ullah, Member Science and Technology, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Information Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Planning. Speaking at the meeting, the minister said, 'This is the first major initiative under our Science, Technology, and Engineering for Development (STED) programme. Pakistan is taking concrete steps to evolve into a knowledge-based, techno-economic power.' He emphasised that Quantum Valley Pakistan—envisioned as the country's answer to Silicon Valley—is Pakistan's most ambitious techno-national initiative to date. He stated that the project will include state-of-the-art science parks specializing in emerging technologies such as agri-tech, biotechnology, advanced materials, and minerals. He said 'it aims at promoting civil-defence fusion in R&D for economic development, fast-track high-tech industrialization, and localising global innovation models to meet national needs by targeting Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 3 to 6.' Highlighting past efforts, Minister Iqbal remarked that the journey began with the launch of Vision 2010, followed by the allocation of 10,000 PhD scholarships to create a critical mass of scientists, technologists, and researchers, and the establishment of National Centres for Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Big Data, and Cyber security. After progressing through various stages of capacity building and institutional development, the time has now come to consolidate these efforts into a robust, integrated innovation ecosystem that will propel Pakistan into the ranks of globally competitive knowledge economies.' The minister directed that the execution of Quantum Valley Pakistan will be a joint effort involving the Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Information Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Defence, and the National Technology Fund (Ignite). The project is set to play a transformative role in positioning Pakistan at the forefront of global technological innovation. During the meeting, Dr Najeeb Ullah briefed participants on the strategic design framework of Quantum Valley Pakistan, which has been developed in collaboration with the renowned St John's Innovation Centre at the University of Cambridge. The Centre, a global leader in enterprise and technological innovation, has played a pivotal role in shaping this visionary concept aimed at transforming Pakistan into a regional hub for advanced science, technology, and high-tech entrepreneurship. Dr Najeeb noted that the idea was formally explored during Minister Iqbal's recent visit to the University of Cambridge, where discussions were held on leveraging UK–Pakistan collaboration to promote research, innovation, and industrial advancement. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
22-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Progress on 'Quantum Valley' reviewed
Listen to article Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to review progress on a landmark initiative called the "Quantum Valley Pakistan." The meeting was attended by Dr Najeebullah, Member Science and Technology, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Information Technology, Ministry of Science and Technology and Ministry of Planning, a statement said. The minister emphasised that the Quantum Valley Pakistan – modeled on the US Silicon Valley — was so far Pakistan's most ambitious techno-national initiative. The project will comprise state-of-the-art science parks specialising in emerging technologies such as agri-tech, biotechnology, advanced materials and minerals. It aims to promote civil-defence fusion in research and development for economic uplift, fast-track hi-tech industrialisation and localise global innovation models to meet national needs by targeting the Technology Readiness Levels 3 to 6. "This is the first major initiative under our Science, Technology and Engineering for Development (STED) programme. Pakistan is taking concrete steps to evolve into a knowledge-based, techno-economic power. For the first time, we are integrating all components of the innovation ecosystem, including civil-military fusion, by mirroring the early development of the Silicon Valley," the minister remarked. Ahsan Iqbal said that the journey began with the launch of Vision 2010, followed by the allocation of 10,000 PhD scholarships.
Express Tribune
19-04-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Pakistan's IT exports reach historic high
Listen to article Pakistan's IT exports reached a historic high of $342 million in March, the highest ever monthly figure, according to data released by the Ministry of Information Technology, Express News reported. The growth marks the 18th consecutive month of increase in IT exports, a trend officials attribute to effective policy support and facilitation by the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC). During the first nine months of the 2025 fiscal year, Pakistan's total IT exports stood at $2.8 billion. The government's 'Uraan Pakistan' strategy aims to push this figure to $10 billion, banking on currency stabilisation and supportive policies to drive further expansion. 'The consistent rise in exports reflects growing global demand for Pakistani IT services,' an official from the ministry noted, adding that the international footprint of local IT firms continues to grow. Just two months earlier, IT exports had surged by 28%, reaching $1.86 billion. Minister of State for IT, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, said at the time that the government expects exports to climb further in the coming quarters.
Express Tribune
16-03-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
IT sector performance reviewed, but challenges ignored
Listen to article The Ministry of Information Technology has presented a rosy picture of Pakistan's telecom sector while ignoring the pains and sufferings of consumers due to the slow internet speed following the installation of a firewall. While presenting the performance of the IT and telecom ministry, Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja presented a one-year review of the IT and telecom sector in a recent meeting of the federal cabinet. She said that in the last year, broadband subscribers grew from 127.6 to 142.3 million, telecom revenues increased from Rs817 billion to Rs955 billion, local mobile phone manufacturing rose from 21.28 million to 31.38 million devices and cell site connectivity with fibre expanded by 12%. She also noted that the telecom sector contributed Rs341 billion to the national exchequer. However, she did not disclose the entire picture as the businesses of those related to the IT industry had either been shut down or they were near bankruptcy. Several entrepreneurs had shifted their offices to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to slow internet speed, which occurred following the installation of a firewall. Even the telecom operators suffered multibillion-rupee losses because of the shifting of their customers to different networks in the wake of slow internet speed. The software association had informed the government during the installation of the firewall that they had suffered a loss of $500 million. Additionally, the freelancers' network Fiver had issued an advisory to its customers not to hire services of freelancers from Pakistan. Freelancers lost their clients due to the disruption in communications. Currently, several countries like the UAE and some European Union (EU) states were offering visas to digital marketers, especially those who were receiving earnings online to attract influencers so that they could contribute to their income. However, the case of Pakistan is different as the country's IT policies are going in the reverse direction to the detriment of the IT and telecom sector. The report submitted by the IT minister to the cabinet missed all those facts and figures, which caused severe pain to those businesses that were related to the IT sector. The IT minister also informed the cabinet that it was mentioned that 813 mauzas had been connected to the internet through 2,000 km of optic fibre cables and IT-related exports had surged 27% compared to the previous fiscal year. Furthermore, with the help of eight incubation centres across the country, 229 start-ups, with an investment of Rs2.04 billion, got the services of these centres. Regarding the digital transformation of the economy, governance and society, the minister informed the forum that 42 divisions and 176 departments had switched to e-office and the Digital Economy Enhancement Project (DEEP) had been launched to digitalise government services. She highlighted that all those advancements had been made through the introduction of a series of policy frameworks and enactments. Digital skills among youth Regarding the development of digital skills, the minister stated that around 300,000 training sessions had been completed in one year, with plans to double the number in the future. She added that 1,000 interns had been placed in the ICT internship programme and the Digital Pakistan Cyber Security Hackathon was organised in 2024, attracting 6,443 participants. The minister noted that IT parks were under construction in Karachi and Islamabad while several Software Technology Parks (STPs) had been completed in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
