ISLAMABAD  -  With digital growth going through a rapid evo­lution, Pakistan is inching towards establishing a vibrant network of state-of-the-art informa­tion technology (IT) parks aimed at providing young professionals with a launching pad to ex­ecute their innovative ideas and contribute to the national economy efficiently.

“These parks are expected to not only gener­ate employment opportunities for IT profes­sionals but also attract millions of dollars in valuable foreign exchange, boost the IT indus­try, and increase exports once they are com­pleted and fully operational,” said an official of the Ministry of Information Technology. He said the foundation stone of an IT park in Islamabad, assisted by Korea, was laid in Chak Shahzad to fulfill Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ‘Digital Pakistan’ vision. While sharing the details of the project, he said, “Rs 13.72 billion in projects is expected to address the infrastructure shortage in the IT sector. It will also facilitate technology transfer through industry and academia linkag­es, support technology commercialization, link tertiary education with production, promote research and development, and enhance IT ex­ports and industry competitiveness.”

“The Islamabad IT Park will consist of a twelve-story building (including two base­ments or ground floors plus ten stories) with a covered area of 66,893 square meters. Initially, it will provide office space for around 120 start-ups and small to medium enterprises, along with other facilities such as testing laborato­ries, classrooms, an industry-academia linkage center, and an auditorium,” he added. Under the Prime Minister’s vision, all relevant institu­tions and departments are collectively working on various projects to elevate Pakistan’s IT ex­ports to the $25 billion mark.