Islamabad IT Park to Create 7,500 New Jobs

News Desk 

Islamabad: Parliamentary Secretary for Information Technology Sabeen Ghauri on Thursday informed the National Assembly that Pakistan has successfully established 25 state-of-the-art Software Technology Parks across 20 cities, a major step toward strengthening the country’s digital infrastructure and creating new employment opportunities nationwide.

During the Question Hour, she said the government had ensured regional inclusivity in the initiative, with cities like Sargodha and several remote areas included among the project sites.

“Some members earlier raised concerns about their regions being overlooked, but I want to assure them that this initiative covers both major urban centers and smaller regions across Pakistan,” Ghauri said.

She revealed that the Islamabad IT Park is over 90 percent complete and is expected to become operational by early 2026. Once launched, it is projected to create around 7,500 jobs and contribute approximately $60 million annually to the country’s IT exports.

Providing updates on the Karachi IT Park, Ghauri said it is being developed in collaboration with a Korean company and financial institutions. Although the project faced initial delays due to regulatory and coordination challenges, it now has a revised completion target of 2027. Upon completion, it is expected to add $90 million annually to IT exports.

Read More: https://thepenpk.com/survey-finds-humans-can-no-longer-tell-ai-music-from-real-songs/

Responding to a supplementary question about cyber scams and spam calls, Ghauri acknowledged that even parliamentarians have fallen victim to such fraudulent activities. She explained that while cybercrime cases fall under the Ministry of Interior, the National Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) under the IT Ministry works closely with the FIA’s Cybercrime Wing to detect, contain, and investigate such incidents.

Sharing her own experience of receiving scam calls impersonating government officials, Ghauri noted that these calls often appear to come from legitimate mobile numbers but are, in fact, computer-generated and difficult to trace.

To enhance security, she suggested that government websites should display official email addresses instead of personal phone numbers to protect public officials from data misuse.

She added that efforts are underway to block spam numbers and strengthen cybersecurity protocols to safeguard citizens’ data as Pakistan advances toward a digitally empowered economy.

Ghauri further informed the House that punishments for cyber offenses have been enhanced, and citizens can now file complaints directly through the FIA’s online portal for issues such as WhatsApp hacking, data breaches, and online fraud.