A DIGITAL PAKISTAN

Digitalization - A Revolution in Itself, Is Redefining the Way People Live, Interact, Transact and
Develop As One World. The Impact Of Digital Change Is Rapid And Far Reaching. Never Have
Individuals, Businesses And Nations Been So Dependent On Technology, As They Are Today.
The Case For Digitalization Needs No Winning Arguments. Nations Becoming Increasingly Digital
Have Experienced Growth And Productivity In Their Economies And Businesses, Leading To
More Jobs, Higher Levels Of Innovation, And Better Quality Of Life.

ACCELERATE TO THE DIGITAL STATE IS AN ASPIRATIONAL EFFORT TO ASSIST THE

DIGITALIZATION JOURNEY OF PAKISTAN. THIS SITE IS POSITIONED TO PROPEL FORWARD THE
AGENDA FOR DIGITAL POLICY FORMULATION AND IMPLEMENTATION IN THE COUNTRY, IN
COLLABORATION WITH KEY STAKEHOLDERS OF THE DIGITAL ECOSYSTEM
Since the beginning of time man has passionate to become advance, the first industrial
revolutions so land does the currency of its time it’s for shadow the emergence of the engine
and mechanical energy making man mobile . The second industrial revolution discovered the
magic of electricity and mass production bringing convenience and progress. The third
industrial revolution experienced the dimensional harboring the power of information
technology, man experiences possibilities beyond geographies and taped into galaxies. The
fourth industrial revolution is upon us now, making us move with the speed of light
transforming the way we live, it is the digital revolution, having data the core of it all. It is the
engine for growth with the potential to truly revelutionalize the way we interact from digital
education to digital care to digital agriculture. We can see the impact of technology all around
us. Across the globe countries are experiencing mass benefit from economies, societies and
way of governance. Since digitalizing 30% of its key manufacturing sector China is experiencing
20% reduction in the cost of production and an increase of 20% increase in productivity. The
digital Malaysia 2020 strategy has already added $ 87.7 million to its GDP and has created over
3000 value jobs. In India ‘1.1 billion people have digital ID`s and access to financial services
following the PM to the digital India dream. By priotizing e-governance Turkey has brought
1400 government services on its government portal providing access to 27 million people
nationwide. Today Pakistan is at the cross roads of this digital revolution to reap the fruits of
digitalization.
STANCE:

Digital Transformation Brings Innovations, Growth and improved Governance

Sixty-four percent of Pakistan’s 210 million population is below the age of 30. This equates to
about 135 million Millennials – a generation perceived to be the driver of technological
innovation across the globe. (Pakistan Census Data)
The median age of ‘digitally savvy’ youth demographic for Pakistan is 22 years. The average for
most other countries is much higher. (UNDP, 2018)

INTRODUCTION:
Technology has reduced distances and connected people across continents, turning the
world into a true global village. In today’s world, nearly all of us wake up and instinctively
reach out for our smartphones to check our email and social media updates, grab news bites,
and engage in conversations. Many of us call the cab to work, get the previous day’s closing
numbers, look for updates from our favorite brands, send or receive money, read a page or
two from our favorite book, and a lot more all through our cell phones. The tech marvels we
could not imagine ever coming out of the science fiction and into the real world are more
than commonplace today.
Digital Pakistan Policy:
In 2018, the country approved its first ever Digital Pakistan Policy to transform the IT and other
sectors of economy for an enhanced economic growth through digitalisation. Under the
landmark policy, the country aims to double its IT and ITeS exports by 2020. The IT industry is
already among the top five net exporters of the country with the highest net exports in the
services industries. The reported FDI inflow in the ICT sector (IT & Telecom) for the period July
2018-January 2019 is $114.4 million.
1. e-government:
Transformation of public services through e-government is a proven way of improving
public service delivery while increasing transparency of the government. The
Canadian city, Regina’s, portal for public access of city services and utilities is an
example here. A good step in this direction is the Pakistani government’s Citizen
Portal that is an integrated citizens’ grievance redressal system connecting all
government organisations, at both federal and provincial levels. A similar portal for
Pakistani citizens to access services and utilities while on-the-go would be a great
step forward.
2. National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA):
The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) system is a brilliant initiative
and is a foundational advantage Pakistan has over others. Every citizen is captured on
the grid (which is a foundational requirement to build upon in the digital landscape).

3.  Pakistan Citizen Portal :

The Pakistan Citizen Portal where all government related complaints can be launched is
an excellent example of how a centralised technology solution can insert transparency
and transform an industry that typically lags behind in the use of technology.
4. Fastest growing e-commerce in the world:
At the World Economic Forum in 2017, Ebay’s chief executive, Devin Wenig, highlighted
Pakistan as one of the fastest growing e-commerce markets in the world. The total value
of e-commerce is estimated to cross the $10 billion mark by 2020.
According to the SBP, in 2019, 27 banks are offering internet banking service and there
are 3.1 million internet banking users registered with banks. During Jan-March ‘19, 8.6
million transactions of value Rs362.3 billion were processed through internet banking. In
terms of mobile banking, 23 banks are providing the facility to 5 million customers.
These users processed 11.9 million transactions of value Rs.271.3 billion using mobile
phone banking apps.

5. Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS):

the Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) recently launched by
the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) could increase the average price of a
mobile phone in the Pakistani market, as legal handsets are generally more expensive
than counterfeit and illegal devices, unless it is mitigated by government measures,
aimed at improving the affordability of handsets.

6. ICT sector:
Working more closely with the ICT sector, the Pakistani government can harness
technology to govern better and address challenges more effectively. A great example
here is the Kent Council UK’s collaboration with Microsoft to harness the power of
cloud and applying innovative mobile technologies in local communities to
contextualise citizens’ needs and preferences, provide relevant on-the-spot offers,
and access markets that were previously untapped. Similarly, Telenor Pakistan’s
mAgri service “Khushaal Zamindaar” also contextualises farmer needs and provides
location-specific weather forecast along with contextual agronomic advisory for
smallholder farmers.

7. Election Commission of Pakistan’s i-voting portal:

While the 2018 elections witnessed political parties invest on digital engagement of
voters in the country’s largest internet-driven polls, other organs of the state have also
introduced measures to improve services they deliver to the public. For the first time in
the country’s electoral history, overseas Pakistanis were able to vote in the elections
through the Election Commission of Pakistan’s i-voting portal. Besides, the judicial
system recorded a milestone in May this year by hearing cases via e-Court — a system
based on video-link connectivity.
8. small and medium enterprise (SME) 
The highest gains are expected to come from investment. This will happen through a
higher quantum of small and medium enterprise (SME) and household lending.
Investment gains will also flow from the transition in savings medium from informal
ones to formal digital accounts. Pakistan's saving rate (11 percent in FY18) is quite low
while the share of SME lending in overall private sector credit was only 8 percent by
FY17. Given these statistics, the use of DFS including mobile accounts, online payment
systems and other new product offerings can help stimulate
savings as well as increase financial inclusion.

9. Pak-China Optical Fibre Cable:

Possibly the biggest game changer in terms of internet access has come from Pak-China
Optical Fibre Cable (OFC), a CPEC project which forms the land-based communication
link between Pakistan and China. The 820-kilometre-long fibre-optic cable is expected to
extend down to Gwadar in the long term, providing connectivity to far-flung areas along
the western border and Balochistan.
Aside from the OFC, China is also working with Pakistan to set up a new submarine cable
with landing routes in Karachi and Gwadar, further ensuring faster connections and
lowering the likelihood of a major internet breakdown in the country. Huawei claims the
deployment of PEACE (Pakistan East Africa Cable) started this year and will be
completed by end of 2019.

CHALLENGES IN DIGITILIZATION:
1) POLICY MAKING GAP:
 Gaps in policy making
 Ineffectiveness in policy implementation
 Discrepencies in policy ownership and governance
2) Limited digital services:
 Limited provision of e-services
 Scarcity of public private partnership
3) Environmental barriers :
Absence of ad
CONCLUSION:
Pakistan is considered amongst one of the major emerging global economies and as we aim
for the knowledge economy, it’s only through digitalisation on the government and people
levels that we can pave the way for it. Despite faring low on digital participation metrics,
Pakistan has made great progress on achieving social equality and transforming
underperforming industries. The ICT sector of Pakistan, especially, has been the one actively
supporting the country in its pursuit of digitalisation with a plethora of innovative initiatives
to empower citizens and industries. But, our governance still has a lot of room for
improvement as we continue to face longstanding social and economic challenges.

Apart from all that, it is a good indicator that in 2018, Pakistan announced its first-ever digital
policy. The policy said, “Promote the use of technology in education, health, agriculture and
other key socio-economic sectors. Encourage the use of ICT in public schools and ensure they
are online and have a meaningful impact on the current education eco-system in a phased
manner.”

Further, about e/m-commerce, it explained, “Enhance the current market size of e/m-
commerce. According to some estimates, the market carries an enormous growth potential due
to exponential growth in broadband subscribers from 3.7 million in 2013 to over 44.3 million in
2017 and increasing. With these growth trends projected to persist in the future, overseas
investments will continue to grow in e-commerce.”

The digitalisation has shifted the economy from a largely physical to a software-controlled
economy

The policy must be implemented in its true spirits, and the government should have a kind of
assessment after a few years whether to know the policy is working or been implemented.

Pakistan has about 60 per cent of its 207 million population in the 15-29 years age group;
signifying a massive human and knowledge capital. There are more than 2,000 IT companies
and call centres. The number is increasing every year. There are over 0.3 million English-
speaking IT professionals with expertise in the current and emerging IT products and
technologies. Besides, more than 20,000 IT graduates and engineers are being produced each
year. All this knowledge, companies and the human force need to be capitalised for the
country’s social and economic benefits.

The digital transformation is often described as a new business model or a reshaping of existing
business models. It is driven by several factors. Companies are vulnerable to these new
technologies because it has broken down market barriers for new disruptive competitors (eg
Careem, Uber, etc). Industries, such as publishing, media or music, had to undertake deep
transformations, especially by digitising assets. New technologies are a door opener to an
extended market. They need a company to regulate the business model accordingly. High and
fluctuant anticipation from users with profound knowledge of new technologies users is
determined to practice modified and cutting-edge technologies.

To conclude, Pakistan needs to organise and enhance all these skills, expertise and knowledge
through stimulating a digital transformation in all walks of life so that maximum socio-economic
benefits could be drawn out.

As Pakistan climbs out of the war against terrorism, it is well on its way to development, both
economic and digital, according to a recent article that appeared on the World Economic
Forum (WEF).

With a current economic growth rate of 5.8 per cent, investor confidence in the country has
improved, the WEF report says. Earlier this month, Google's Head of Large Customer Marketing,
South Asia, Lars Anthonisen suggested entrepreneurs to consider expanding their campaigns to
Pakistan because the country was on its way to "produce one of the largest digital audiences in
the world".

CPEC is not only focusing on improving connectivity through proper infrastructure but also on
developing the digital sector in order to ensure that the initiative is successful. For instance, one
of the projects that is part of CPEC is the laying of 820 kilometres of fibre-optic cable, that will
connect more Pakistanis to the digital world.
The impact on the economy can also be significant. According to the Small and Medium
Enterprises (SMEs) development authority, about 90 per cent of businesses in Pakistan are
SMEs that have a 40 per cent share in the country annual gross domestic product.
Developments in the digital sector can help SMEs reach more consumers and achieve growth.