Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has chaired a review meeting on the affairs of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, wherein it was informed that the number of domestic internet connections in Pakistan had surged from 1.9 million in 2024 to 5.10 million this year, and IT exports were expected to touch $4.6 billion mark during the current fiscal year, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
During the meeting on Monday, PM Shehbaz Sharif said promoting the IT sector and increasing IT-related exports were among the government’s priorities. He emphasized that Pakistan’s youth possessed immense potential in the IT field, which must be fully utilized.
PM Shehbaz instructed to accelerate the establishment of Asaan Khidmat Centers in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and foster collaboration with provincial governments to launch the facilities across the provinces. He said cooperation from provincial and district-level governments should be sought to reduce the digital gap between urban and rural areas in the IT sector.
During the briefing on various initiatives for the promotion of IT, it was told that a recent 5G services auction was held in Pakistan, marking the world’s largest such auction since 2016, generating $509 million in revenue for the country.
Besides, the “Indus AI Week” was organized in February 2025 to promote Artificial Intelligence, featuring events across 30 cities, participated by over 100 international delegates, and featuring 88 pavilions.
It was informed that fiber connectivity has been provided to government schools and health units in Islamabad, and the provision of free internet hotspots in the capital was in its final stages.
The participants were also told that E-learning pods were being installed in Saidpur Model Village and Fatima Jinnah Park.
The meeting was attended by federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Azam Nazeer Tarar, Ahad Khan Cheema, and Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, and other high-ranking government officials.
Reporter Awais Kiyani