Pakistan’s share in the $4 trillion global IT export market remains a modest $3 billion—under 1% of its GDP—while India exports $210 billion in comparison. Experts say Pakistan must urgently remove key barriers to unlock its digital potential.
This was the focus of a high-level panel titled “Unlocking Pakistan’s Digital Potential: The Next 10 Years” at the 38th Annual General Meeting of the Pakistan Society of Development Economists (PSDE), organized by PIDE and the Ministry of Planning under the theme “URAAN Pakistan: Growth Through Digital Transformation.”
Panelists acknowledged the role of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) in supporting the IT sector but stressed the need for stronger reforms in education, infrastructure, and inclusivity.
Saleem Ullah, Deputy Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, called for increased digital and financial inclusion, especially for women, noting that 53% of Pakistani women remain unbanked. He emphasized investment in digital infrastructure and upskilling to meet global demands.
Fatima Akhtar, VP Communications and Outreach at Jazz, highlighted the role of technology in enabling trust and transparency, particularly in citizen-government interactions. She noted that Jazz has evolved beyond telecom into digital finance, cloud, and other tech domains.
“Unless women—who make up half the population—have equitable access to technology, digital transformation will remain a distant dream,” she said, pointing out the low smartphone penetration among women.
Fatima also cited Pakistan’s high telecom taxes—around 34.5%—as a key barrier to digital access. She called for a shift in policy from taxing access to taxing value creation, and urged deeper public-private collaboration to meet national digital goals.
In response to concerns about artificial intelligence posing a threat, she remarked, “It’s not AI that will replace humans—but those who know how to use it. At Jazz, we see it as augmented intelligence that enhances human potential.”
Emma Fan, Country Director ADB, called for a targeted approach to policy and infrastructure, suggesting digital hub cities and deregulation to promote innovation. Asim Ghaffar, VP Engineering at 10Pearls, said AI adoption should be accompanied by timely policy updates, not drastic overhauls.
Other speakers, including Dr. Najeeb Ullah Marwat of the Planning Ministry and Dr. Baber Bhatti of NITB, called for a whole-of-society approach and stronger public-private partnerships to drive inclusive digital growth.