ISLAMABAD, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said that the government is committed to facilitating the expansion and growth of the information technology (IT) sector in the country.

According to a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday night, Sharif said at a meeting that "the IT and telecom sector has great potential that needs to be unpacked."

He said the IT and telecom sector should achieve a target of 5 billion U.S. dollars as a contribution to the country's GDP within a year, adding that the government would extend its full support through a comprehensive package in consultation with the industry leaders.

Sharif further added that plans are underway to build IT training and incubation centers, telecommunications companies and software houses for the exponential growth of this promising service sector.

The prime minister was briefed in the meeting that with a workforce of around 40,000 IT professionals, Pakistan has a thriving IT and telecom sector, the statement said.

The country has around 195 million mobile phone users with a growing mobile phone manufacturing capacity, added the statement. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)