January 25, 2003	Saturday	Ziqa’ad 21, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 24: The government is trying to come up with a substantial plan to boost the local IT industry and to increase software exports, said federal minister for information technology and telecommunications, Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari.

“The Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) has been asked to conduct a professional study to learn our weaknesses and prepare a comprehensive strategy to reduce our trade deficit by using IT industry,” the minister said while speaking at a seminar on ‘adding efficiency to hospital processes and moving towards self- sustenance,” on Thursday.

“The PSEB has no vision or direction and has utterly failed to accomplish goals set out for them,” he deplored.

The seminar was organized to launch ‘medix applications— a comprehensive hospital information system (CHIS) software.

“We should not play to the galleries and should stop thinking of a leap frog in terms of growth,” he said adding that he did not want to make claims but set targets which was achievable.

“It is not advisable to move around the world rather identify three or four major markets and then concentrate to increase exports,” he observed.

The minister said the government would carry out a study about the bottlenecks faced by software and IT enabled services companies in the expansion of their business by focussing on financing problems, simplification of producers and on unleashing the creativity of young professionals to encourage them to develop new products.

“I would pamper only companies owned by Pakistanis as they felt that they need to be given more opportunity to work and grow,” he said.

He also assured that his ministry would ensure its implementation to help create jobs.

The minister also asked multi-nationals to invest in Pakistan saying that there apprehensions about security were not based on reality.

He said that he would like to market the local IT companies himself.

The minister said Pakistan with its extensive pool of human resources and telecom infrastructure had vast potential to earn revenue from IT industry but needed a properly worked out strategy and strong implementation bodies to capture a place in the international IT market.

Mr Leghari said required steps were being taken to further facilitate software and IT enabled services companies to expand their business in the country.

Earlier, chief executive officer, Fauji Software Company, Khalid Nawaz Kayani said the software, medix applications, provides the expert tools that are needed to boost up any hospital mechanism and form the basis for future planning requirements.