Dr. Umar Saif, the Minister for Information Technology in Pakistan’s interim government, has unveiled a significant development in the country’s IT landscape. He officially announced the government’s intentions to bring global payment giants PayPal and Stripe to Pakistan, a move that holds great potential for the burgeoning digital economy.
The government is set to create co-working spaces tailored specifically for freelancers, a vital step in nurturing the freelance industry. During an essential meeting with Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, Dr. Saif emphasized the IT sector’s ability to generate up to $10 billion in exports if existing hurdles are effectively addressed.
Prime Minister Kakar instructed various government bodies, including finance, commerce, energy, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), and the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), to engage in collaborative consultations, underlining the importance of a coordinated effort.
Dr. Saif also highlighted the pivotal role of the IT sector in achieving economic stability and shared plans for training 200,000 IT professionals through collaboration between industry and academia, with the ambitious goal of boosting IT exports by $5 billion.
This forward-looking initiative underscores Pakistan’s commitment to harnessing its IT potential for economic growth and development.
