After failing to capitalize on previous technological booms that helped countries like India and the Philippines become back-end operators for the globe, Pakistan is aiming to grow its IT sector by establishing specialized technology zones across the nation in two years.
By next year, Pakistan intends to have established a dozen such zones, according to Amer Hashmi, the country’s science and technology zone development administrator. It’s offering a 10-year corporate tax exemption and free imports of any equipment or construction materials needed for the regions, which will give Pakistan’s IT sector a “catapult push” that could double
Pakistan is counting on the country’s new technology zones to provide employment for its large number of young people, who make up nearly two-thirds of the population. According to Oxford Internet Institute’s Online Labour Index, it already hosts the world’s third-largest gig economy after India and Bangladesh. A flood of foreign investment into fintech, e-commerce, and other sectors related to coronavirus outbreak is also fueling demand for specialized areas to serve these sectors.
After Prime Minister Imran Khan asked for answers at a gathering last year as to why Pakistan was missing out on the tech revolution, the idea came about. Hashmi informed the prime minister that Pakistan lacked a technological eco-system or an enabling environment, recalling his own experience as an entrepreneur.
Mr. Hashmi, a software engineer from Canada who...
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