Pakistan Digital City in KPK to create 30,000 jobs: report

Officials from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government said the province was ready to launch Pakistan Digital City, the country's first such initiative, which according to them would create 30,000 jobs, media reported Monday.

The Pakistan Digital City - aimed to serve as a hub for high technology, innovation, and create thousands of new jobs in the sector - will be established in the KP's Haripur district. In 2018, the provincial government had launched the "Digital KP" policy in a bid to create jobs for youth in the digital economy. "The master planning and designing will be finalized by the end of October this year," Zahoor Shah Marwat of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board told the publication.

"Potential investors, including software houses, technology incubators, electronic manufacturers, mobile, computer, and communications equipment manufacturers will be invited to establish their facilities," the official said. The KP official said that the hub could generate nearly 30,000 new jobs at about 20 various high- tech operations.

During a visit to the site in July, former chief of Digital Pakistan Tania Aidrus had said, "extremely encouraged to see the work Zia Ullah Bangash [ Advisor to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Science & Technology and Information Technology] and his team are doing for the betterment of the youth in the region." "Pakistan Digital City will help bring fantastic new opportunities for Tech companies and the people of KP and Pakistan alike," she added.

Meanwhile, the IT sector's experts said that the digital city would bring about an "IT revolution" if it gives an opportunity to fresh talent.

"Currently, the government has no job opportunities for thousands of computer science graduates who complete their higher studies in IT at the country's universities," Aftab Jahan, an IT expert, and owner of Elite Technology Abbottabad told Arab News.

"My students often ask me what will be their future after graduation and receiving degrees in IT and computer science? The digital city will offer opportunities to our young professionals to get experience and demonstrate their skills," she said. Earlier this month, the National Economic Council approved the up- gradation of Pakistan Railways' Mainline- 1 ( ML- 1) at an estimated cost of $ 6.806bn.

The project, which equals to Rs11.44 trillion in total, and involves the upgradation of the Walton Academy, is part of the China- Pakistan Economic Corridor.