DESPITE the dismal state of education in the country, Pakistan ranks fourth in the global freelance marketplace where hundreds of thousands of individuals generate money in the dollar economy. It is the individual enterprise that is prevailing over official laggardness. All that is happening is despite the system, not because of it. From the quality of education to lack of facilitation for the community of freelancers, the government of Pakistan can take no credit for the massive progress made by Pakistanis in the global market.

The least the government of Pakistan — regardless of who is heading it at any given point in time — can do is to provide a hassle-free environment for the freelancers to expand the scope of their activity and enlarge their footprint on the digital economy. They are based in Pakistan and every dollar they earn lands in Pakistan. Even when the country is desperate for foreign exchange, the government is reluctant to provide the freelancers any kind of relief or facilitation. For sure, the freelance community needs government attention the most. The more dollars they would earn, the more stabilised the rupee would be.

The very cause of the devaluation of the rupee is dwindling dollar earnings. I am sure once free and fair way to work is provided to the freelancers, rupee will gain strength. This is not mere talk, but a well-studied conclusion by economists across the world. Honestly, one does not need to be a rocket scientist to comprehend this simple phenomenon.

The major cause of worry for the freelancers is the issues they face while receiving dollar-based payments owing to the lack of digital platforms for remittances, such as PayPal, which does not operate in Pakistan. No government in Pakistan has even tried to see what can be done in this regard.

Another headache is the rate of taxes on the earnings of the freelancers. It is digital freelance community that has been bringing in dollars, which is helping the country in a critical area, but they are being discouraged by the government. The previous government was the actual culprit as it had imposed unjustified taxes on freelance income from abroad.

The government should facilitate the freelance community not just for the sake of the freelancers, but also for the sake of the national economy that badly needs foreign exchange to keep itself afloat.

Finally, the country needs to increase and improve online training platforms, like, say, DigiSkills, for further development of the freelance community.

We have an edge in the global space, and we should do all we possibly can not to lose it.

Insaf Ali Bangwar
Kandhkot

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2022