Senate Committee scrutinizes IT sector & training programs conducting secretly
ISLAMABAD, August 22 (SABAH): The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication convened on Thursday under the chairperson ship of Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan at the Parliament House. The meeting highlighted several issues, including the absence of the Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, as well as the Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
The session began with a briefing on the operations and performance of the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) and the Electronic Certification Accreditation Council. It was noted that the PSEB, established as a Private Software Export Board in 1995, operates under a seven-member Board of Directors. Presently, there are 26,000 IT companies registered with the SECP. Despite the global IT market’s value of $5 trillion, Pakistan’s share is less than 0.04%. This year, IT products accounted for 24% of IT growth, matching last year’s growth rate.
The committee was informed that Pakistan’s IT exports are distributed as follows: 54% to America, 21% to Europe, 10% to Gulf countries, and 14% to the Asia Pacific region. There are currently 2,124 web design services companies, 452 network security firms, and 616 data storage and management companies. Additionally, Pakistan has 3,463 IT consulting firms, 870 social media consulting companies, 465 email marketing firms, 664 IT help desk companies, 940 cloud service providers, and 81 repair service companies.
Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan expressed concern over the opaque nature of training programs, specifically questioning the HR-ICT Internship Program, which has trainee 3,500 interns over six months with a monthly stipend of PKR 20,000. The committee demanded detailed information about the interns who completed this program, including their names, provinces, and selection criteria. There were also queries about the revenue generated by these programs and its utilization. A comprehensive report on the training programs, including quality control and funding sources, was directed by the committee
Officials revealed that, following Prime Minister’s instructions, certifications will be issued to 19,000 students. Senator Anusha Rehman criticized the Pakistan Software Export Board’s data, noting discrepancies in the reporting years and demanding complete data for the past years.
The committee also reviewed the Karachi IT Park project, which is estimated to cost $187 million and has been financed by Exim Bank. The design is complete, but there were delays in Islamabad IT Park, which was expected to be completed by February 2025. The delay was attributed to issues with Korean funding and late land allocation by the CDA.
The committee addressed the hiring of the Secretary of the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication on a contractual basis rather than from the Federal Service Pool. Concerns were raised about frequent changes in secretaries and the suitability of candidates from grades 21 and 22. Senator Afnanullah criticized the lack of qualified officers and questioned the rationale behind hiring a contractual secretary. The committee requested the Secretary Establishment Division to attend the next meeting with full details on this matter.
The PTA officials briefed the committee on nationwide internet service disruptions caused by faults in submarine cables and increasing payload through VPN traffic The committee expressed dissatisfaction with the absence of the PTA Chairman and questioned the ban on Twitter, which was reportedly implemented under the Ministry of Interior directive.
The meeting concluded with the postponement of the agenda related to the LDI issue due to non-participation of relevant authorities. The next meeting will address these issues further.
Attendees included Senators Anusha Rehman Ahmed Khan, Dr. Afnanullah Khan, Saifullah Sarwar Khan Nyazee, Manzoor Ahmed Kakar, and Gurdeep Singh, alongside senior officers from relevant departments.