ISLAMABAD, Aug 22 (APP):The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication convened on Thursday to review the operations and performance of the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) and the Electronic Certification Accreditation Council (ECAC).
The meeting was chaired by Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan.
The committee was informed that the PSEB, initially established as a Private Software Export Board in 1995, operates under a seven-member Board of Directors. Presently, 26,000 IT companies are registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).
Despite the global IT market’s staggering value of $5 trillion, Pakistan’s share remains less than 0.04%. This year, IT products accounted for 24% of the sector’s growth, matching last year’s growth rate.
Pakistan’s IT exports are distributed across several regions: 54% to US, 21% to Europe, 10% to Gulf countries, and 14% to the Asia Pacific region.
The country is home to 2,124 web design services companies, 452 network security firms, and 616 data storage and management companies.
There are 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 operating in Pakistan.
Senator Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan expressed concern over the opaque nature of the training programs, particularly questioning the HR-ICT Internship Program, which has trained 3,500 interns over six months with a monthly stipend of Rs. 20,000.
The committee demanded detailed information about the interns who completed the program, including their names, provinces, and the selection criteria. Questions were raised about the revenue generated by these programs and its utilization.
The committee directed the preparation of a comprehensive report on the training programs, including quality control measures and funding sources.
Senator Anusha Rehman criticized the Pakistan Software Export Board’s data, pointing out discrepancies in the reporting years and demanding complete data for previous years.
The committee also reviewed the Karachi IT Park project, which is estimated to cost $187 million and is being financed by Exim Bank. While the design is complete, there have been delays in the Islamabad IT Park project, which was expected to be completed by February 2025.
The delay has been attributed to issues with Korean funding and late land allocation by the Capital Development Authority (CDA).
The committee raised concerns about the hiring of the Secretary of the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication on a contractual basis, rather than from the Federal Service Pool.
Frequent changes in secretaries and the suitability of candidates from grades 21 and 22 were also discussed.
Senator Afnanullah criticized the lack of qualified officers and questioned the rationale behind hiring a contractual secretary.
The committee requested that the Secretary of the Establishment Division attend the next meeting with full details on this matter.
The committee was also briefed by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) officials on the nationwide internet service disruptions caused by faults in submarine cables and the increasing payload through VPN traffic.
The committee questioned the ban on Twitter, which was reportedly implemented under the directive of the Ministry of Interior.
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