‘Digital Pakistan coming to life’

E-Paper | March 16, 2026

ISLAMABAD: The government’s goal of a Digital Pakistan is coming to life, with the ministry playing a pro-active role in developing a conducive environment for ever-changing technological needs, Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Syed Amin Ul Haque said on Thursday.

Speaking at the launch of the 2021 Tech Trend report, Mr Haque — who was the chief guest on the occasion — said the new “Right of Way” (ROW) policy for the telecom sector will help enhance the sector expand its outreach. The ROW policy will also help remove hurdles faced by telecom and internet service providers in the installation and maintenance of their equipment, he added.

Speaking virtually at the launch, Head of Telenor Research Bjørn Taale Sandberg noted that 2020 proved digitalisation was the key to tackling major societal issues.

“The pandemic has triggered us and nearly every industry around the globe to adapt at a rate once thought impossible,” he said. The year 2020 will go down in history as not only one of the most challenging of the century, but also as one of the most transformative, he added.

Meanwhile, Telenor Pakistan CEO Irfan Wahab Khan said innovative solutions to promote financial inclusion, propel mAgri initiatives and artificial intelligence were being developed for usage at the most personalised level.

The Tech Trends report — published annually by the Telenor Research — predicts that there will be more cybersecurity challenges in the current calendar year and due to this, greater implementation of user-friendly security solutions is predicted in near future.

The publication says that 2021 will see eHealth actors developing and rolling out new sets of tools and services related to mental health, the trends also reflect on how governments will use the momentum of 2020 to pave the way for a green recovery in 2021, putting climate laws and climate plans into action, the report adds.

The year 2021 is expected to see an escalating number of new and creative methods of remote, digital learning to emerge from the rapidly advancing virtual learning sphere.

Published in Dawn, January 29th, 2021

Newspaper

Kalbe Ali is a senior staff reporter for Dawn based in Islamabad, with nearly 20 years of field reporting experience. He covers a diverse range of topics, including the internet, IT and telecom sectors, as well as religious affairs.

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