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Information Development
DOI: 10.1177/0266666907087698
2008; 24; 66 Information Development
Farzana Shafique and Khalid Mahmood Indicators of the Emerging Information Society in Pakistan
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PAKISTAN’S EMERGING INFORMATION SOCIETY
66 Information Development (ISSN 0266-6669) Copyright © 2008 SAGE Publications. Vol. 24, No. 1, DOI: 10.1177/0266666907087698
putting pressure on natural resources and ecosystems.
In recent years drought and disease have also affected
yields, particularly those of rice. Agriculture, although
still the largest sector, now contributes less than one-
fourth of the GNP, while manufacturing provides
almost one-fi fth. The agricultural production index,
with a base of 100 at the time of Pakistan’s creation,
showed a slow growth rate of 219 in 1970 and 591 in
2004, compared to the industrial manufacturing pro-
duction index, which grew from a base of 100 in 1947
to 2,346 in 1970 and 17,047 in 2004 (Husain, 2005).
The GDP composition by sector in 2006 was 22 per-
cent from agriculture, 26 percent from industry and 52
percent from services (United States. Central Intelli-
gence Agency, 2007).
The world economy has already moved from low-
value basic industries (i.e. manufacturing and agri-
culture) to a fast-paced high-value information based
economy. Pakistan is also pressurized by these factors
to capture the emerging opportunities prevailing in
the information society. Keeping these realities in
view, the Government of Pakistan today is not only
promoting e-culture at local and national level but
also trying to meet most of the essential requirements
that foreign businesses and investors are looking for.
Macroeconomic stability, deep-rooted structural re-
forms, high standards of economic governance, outward
looking orientation, liberalized trade and investment
regime, easy access to policy makers, low production
costs, a sophisticated fi nancial sector and its location
as a regional hub make it a highly attractive country for
global business and investment. These factors, along
with the lessons learnt from its historical experience,
the development of new capitalistic features (based on
census reports and defi nitions of occupations) and the
imperatives of globalization, have led to the conversion
of Pakistan’s agricultural society to an information
society.
Keeping the above-mentioned factors in view,
this paper aims to analyze the current status of the
emerging information society in Pakistan. The research
is based on literature search, website visits, personal
communication with experts via telephone, e-mail and
personal visits.
Indicators of the Emerging Information
Society in Pakistan
An information society is emerging at a very fast
pace in Pakistan, but the efforts made towards the
information society should be correlated with the
overall strategic planning and cultural heritage of
the country.
Farzana Shafi que and Khalid Mahmood
INTRODUCTION
Pakistan (offi cially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan)
is a country in South Asia. It is bounded to the west by
Iran, to the north by Afghanistan, to the northeast
by China, to the east and southeast by India, and to
the south by the Arabian Sea. It has an area (excluding
the Pakistani-held part of Jammu and Kashmir) of
307,374 square miles (796,095 square kilometres).
Pakistan was brought into being at the time of the
Partition of British India in 1947 in order to create a
separate homeland for India’s Muslims in response
to the demands of Islamic nationalists, demands that
were articulated by the All India Muslim League under
the leadership of Mohammed Ali Jinnah. In terms of
the structure of its economy, Pakistan resembles the
middle-income countries of East and Southeast Asia
more than the poor nations of the Indian subcontinent.
Economic performance compares favourably with that
of many other developing countries; the GNP has
increased at an average rate of more than 5 percent a
year since independence.
Agriculture is the backbone of the country’s
economy. It employs 48 percent of the labour force
and accounts for 60 percent of export earnings. Cotton,
wheat and rice are among the main export crops. In the
last 30 years investment in agriculture has contributed
to an average annual growth rate of 4 percent. A massive
irrigation canal system makes it possible to farm about
26 percent of the country’s total land area. Much of
Pakistan’s agriculture relies on this irrigation system.
Yet the amount of productive farmland is declining.
The continuing demand for more food crops has led to
an expansion of dry land farming on fragile marginal
lands. Growth in human and livestock populations has
led to deforestation and heavy grazing of green lands,
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PAKISTAN’S EMERGING INFORMATION SOCIETY
Information Development (ISSN 0266-6669) Copyright © 2008 SAGE Publications. Vol. 24, No. 1, DOI: 10.1177/0266666907087698 67
THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION AND THE INFORMATION
SOCIETY
Our society is undergoing profound and rapid
changes as a result of the development of information
superhighways. These changes are evident in the
economic, social, cultural and political aspects of our
society. Increased dependence on computers, economic
globalization, and the shaping of government policies
by multinational corporations are only a few points
on a landscape of change. The digital revolution in
information and communication technologies (ICT)
has created the platform for a free fl ow of information,
ideas and knowledge across the globe. The Internet has
become an important global resource, a resource that is
critical to both the developed world as a business and
social tool and the developing world as a passport to
equitable participation, as well as economic, educational
and social development. This revolution has made a
profound impression on the way the world functions
and has transformed it to an evolving information
society.
Following on the rapid expansion of the information
society, the United Nations called for a World Summit
on the Information Society (WSIS) organized under
the auspices of the International Telecommunication
Union. The two-phase summit began in Geneva in
2003, and concluded in November 2005 with WSIS
Phase II in Tunis. The goal of this meeting was to assess
progress and prompt further global action to capture
the promise of ICT for all. The purpose of the World
Summit on the Information Society is to ensure that
these benefi ts are accessible to all while promoting spe-
cifi c advantages in areas such as e-strategies, e-commerce,
e-governance, e-health, education, literacy, cultural
diversity, gender equality, sustainable development
and environmental protection. At WSIS Geneva in
December 2003, world leaders declared that it is their
common desire and commitment to build a people-
centered, inclusive and development-oriented infor-
mation society, where everyone can create, access,
utilize and share information and knowledge, enabling
individuals, communities and peoples to achieve
their full potential in promoting their sustainable
development and improving their quality of life,
premised on the purposes and principles of the Charter
of the United Nations and respecting fully and up-
holding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Recognizing the importance of the revolution in ICTs
as a means of shaping the future of the world and in
achieving the development goals outlined in the
Millennium Declaration, world leaders decided that
a global vision and a global dialogue were needed to
build the framework of an all-inclusive and equitable
information society (World Summit on the Information
Society, 2007).
Pakistanis’ attitudes towards major information
society applications such as distance learning, computer-
supported political participation, governmental infor-
mation services to the citizens, fi nding a job online,
telemedicine and information and communication
technologies (ICTs) like cellular phones, satellite dishes
and the Internet, etc. are the prominent indicators of
emerging information society in Pakistan. Different
initiatives empowering the information society in
Pakistan are discussed below.
GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES WITH THE
COLLABORATION OF PRIVATE SECTOR
The tripartite model of the WSIS is based on and seeks
to promote a partnership between the government, civil
society and the private sector. Governments all over
the world are seeking the most appropriate responses
to this situation, responses that will bring maximum
advantage for their countries through the introduction
of information strategies and policies to shape the
development of information societies. Governments
also realize that they cannot do everything alone; the
information society’s objectives can only be achieved
through cooperation and alliances with a wide range
of actors, including the private sector, civil society
and other groups. Keeping these realties in view, the
government of Pakistan has started many initiatives
with the collaboration of the private sector.
WSIS NATIONAL CONSULTATION IN PAKISTAN
The government of Pakistan was a part of the WSIS
process and actively participated in this global event.
In this context, the United Nations Development Pro-
gramme (UNDP) came up with a proposal to conduct
Pre-WSIS consultations in selected countries in Africa
and Asia to develop new models of multi-stakeholder
collaboration to catalyze and strengthen implemen-
tation from Geneva to Tunis. These were carried out
by a team of international experts in collaboration
with the Information and Communication Technology
for Development (ICTD) Group in UNDP Head-
quarters. For a number of reasons, including the gov-
ernment of Pakistan’s major focus on information
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PAKISTAN’S EMERGING INFORMATION SOCIETY
68 Information Development (ISSN 0266-6669) Copyright © 2008 SAGE Publications. Vol. 24, No. 1, DOI: 10.1177/0266666907087698
technology in recent years and the extensive ICTD
work undertaken by one of its own global initiatives
in the country – the Sustainable Development Net-
working Programme (SDNP) – UNDP chose Pakistan
as one of the two countries in Asia (the other is the
Philippines).
SDNP Pakistan, right from its inception in 1992, has
been managed by the World Conservation Union or
International Union for the Conservation of Nature
and Natural Resources (IUCN), and is currently part
of its Education, Communication and Knowledge
Management Program. It had been assigned the
responsibility to assist in facilitating this national
consultation, involving all the important stakeholders
of WSIS in the country. The Ministry of Information
Technology and Telecommunication of Pakistan pro-
vided allout support and guidance to achieve the goals
and objectives of WSIS. Consultation of the WSIS took
place at Islamabad from 17th to 19th of November,
2003. The proposed objectives of the consultation for
the Tunis summit were: adoption of a digital solidarity
charter; evaluation of Geneva plan and process of
Geneva summit; evaluation of the process since Geneva
and assessment of impact; and preparatory meetings
(regional and thematic). At the end of the presenta-
tions, the participants were divided into three groups.
These three groups were organized under the themes
of e-governance, localization of ICTs and community
based ICT applications. The output of the consultation
was as follows:
1. National-level Outcomes: One or more models,
ready for formal launch, for convening and animat-
ing a multi-stakeholders’ forum, at national level
though potentially with regional dimensions, and
linked to the global WSIS effort.
2. Learning for Results and Replication: The docu-
mentation of such a process, and its potential, in a
form that will be of use during and after the Summit,
with a view to replication and infl uencing others.
Dissemination of such models at the Summit, and
in preparation of the post-summit process.
3. Inter-Summit Implementation Opportunity: Pro-
posals for how the process could be deepened and
extended during the inter-Summit period (World
Summit on the Information Society-SDNP, 2007).
ELECTRONIC GOVERNMENT
One of the reasons for inadequate progress in the IT
fi eld has been the existence of too many IT departments
and agencies created by government without an apex
body having coordinating and controlling powers. The
creation of the IT and Telecom Division has solved this
problem (Pakistan’s current administrative hierarchy
comprises Ministries, Divisions and Departments).
In October 2002 the Electronic Government Direct-
orate (EGD) was established by converting the former
Information Technology Commission into a cell within
the Ministry of Information Technology. The terms of
reference of the EGD require it to:
• Implement different projects related to the Elec-
tronic Government Program.
• Provide technical advice and guidelines for the
implementation of e-government projects at the
Federal, Provincial and District levels.
• Plan and prepare electronic government projects.
• Provide standards for software and infrastructure
in the fi eld of electronic government.
• Undertake any other assignment matter that the
government may direct.
The EGD project is looking at and assessing the needs
of departments and ministries. The project is initially
concerned only with the internal electronic working
of the departments, but will be extended to provide
online services to the public, i.e. government forms,
tax fi ling processes, healthcare applications, training
and education (Yaseen, 2006).
In April 2005, the E-Government Strategy and
5 Year Plan prepared by EGD was approved by the
National E-Government Council (NEGC) and later,
in June 2005, endorsed by the Federal Cabinet. The
strategy proposed for the next 5 years has the following
salient features, which are to be carried out in parallel
wherever possible for an accelerated implementation:
• Basic Infrastructure – Deploy the basic infra-
structure to all government agencies. This includes
PCs, intra-ministry networks, offi ce automation
software and intra-ministerial communication.
Connect all government agencies to the Federal
Government Data Center for inter-ministerial com-
munications and Internet and Intranet services.
• Common Applications – A portfolio of applications
that are common to many or all Divisions has
been identifi ed, namely Internal Communication,
Human Resource, Budget, Project Management,
Document/File Management, Collaboration.
These are to be implemented in the Ministry of
Information Technology, stabilized there and
then rolled out to all other Divisions.
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PAKISTAN’S EMERGING INFORMATION SOCIETY
Information Development (ISSN 0266-6669) Copyright © 2008 SAGE Publications. Vol. 24, No. 1, DOI: 10.1177/0266666907087698 69
• Agency-Specifi c Applications and e-Services for
Citizens – Every Division is to identify high-
impact processes for the agency to which it
belongs and to provide services to citizens elec-
tronically. These are then to be implemented
with the support of the EGD, with ownership
remaining with the respective agency.
• Standards – An EGD Framework is under
development and will be made accessible for
all e-government projects so that reference
architectures, standard methodology, best
practices and lessons learned are leveraged at all
projects.
• Enabling Environment
– Federal Government – Top-level leadership
is to be provided by the recently notified
National Electronic Government Council
(NEGC) under the chairmanship of the Prime
Minister. The NEGC will meet quarterly to
review the progress of the implementation of
e-government. Necessary changes in legisla-
tion, rules and regulations need to be identifi ed
and made.
– Agencies – Will take on ownership of and
implement their e-government programs with
the support of EGD. Training will be made
mandatory for all employees of Grade BPS-5
and above. An awareness campaign will be
started for all employees and citizens.
– EGD – should be made an attached department
of the Ministry of Information Technology to
grant it organizational and fi nancial autonomy
to remove unnecessary procedural delays
(Electronic Government Directorate, 2005).
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY POLICY
The Government of Pakistan approved the first
national IT Policy in August 2000. Features of the
policy regarding the role of IT in development cover
such aspects as:
• Include a compulsory, modern and up-to-date
computer literacy module in the matriculation
curriculum for high schools.
• Launch a scheme for providing low-priced com-
puters and Internet connectivity to universities,
colleges and schools through a public/private
sector initiative.
– Barriers to the induction of new technologies
(e.g. Wireless Local Loop) by the private
sector will be removed to ensure the spread of
communications to underserved and unserved
areas of Pakistan.
• Encourage telecommunication companies and
carrier network service providers to develop and
upgrade rural telecommunications facilities. The
Government is fully committed to the universal
service obligation principle and a mechanism for
the provision thereof has been provided in the
telecom sector policy.
• A number of international satellite operators have
already begun to provide high-speed Internet
access. These services should be encouraged to
overcome bandwidth limitations, not only in
urban areas but also in the rural and suburban
areas, for basic Internet connectivity.
• Develop new ways to use IT to help solve the
most pressing problems of human and economic
development – education, health, poverty
alleviation, rural development, and care for the
environment.
• Elimination of all import duty on computer
equipment and accessories (Ministry of Science
and Technology. IT and Telecommunications
Division, 2000).
TELECOM SECTOR
Pakistan’s telecom sector has emerged as the fastest
growing telecom sector across Asia in recent years.
Realizing the benefits achieved from telecom
deregulation around the world, Pakistan has moved
from a monopolized structure to a deregulated one.
The monopoly of the Pakistan Telecommunication
Company Limited (PTCL) on basic telephony has
been abolished and new operators have emerged
on the telecom scene, where competition has been
introduced. Competition in all segments of the telecom
sector brought in lower tariffs and cheaper handsets,
which saw Pakistani people jumping on to the mobile
bandwagon with a vengeance. In fact, all performance
indicators of the telecom sector have shown tremendous
levels of growth. Foreign investment in the telecom
sector exceeded USD 1 billion during the fi rst three
quarters of 2005–06. These growth patterns in the
telecom sector of Pakistan are great in comparison to
many other South Asian economies (Sargana, 2006).
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PAKISTAN’S EMERGING INFORMATION SOCIETY
70 Information Development (ISSN 0266-6669) Copyright © 2008 SAGE Publications. Vol. 24, No. 1, DOI: 10.1177/0266666907087698
Teledensity
With the liberalization of the telecom sector, teledensity
in the country has improved manifold in the last few
years. Total teledensity, which was only 2.8 percent
in 2000–01, reached 45.04 percent in June 2007. This
huge jump is mainly attributed to the boom in the
mobile segment of the sector. The fi xed line industry,
on the other hand, is yet to reach its targets, partly
due to the fact that additional time is required for the
preparation of the necessary fi bre-optic connections.
Cellular Mobiles
The cellular mobile phone segment is the most thriv-
ing and growth oriented sector since liberalization.
Approximately 1.6 million subscribers are being
added to cellular mobile networks each month, which
compares very favourably with any other Asian
country. In fact, total mobile subscribers at the end of
March 2007 passed the 55.6 million mark. In a nutshell,
competition and liberalization in the market have
changed the market share of major cellular companies
in a very positive way.
Fixed Lines
PTCL no longer operates a monopoly and in fact
the fi xed line sector is now home to fourteen Long
Distance and International (LDI) licenses, twelve of
which are held by companies operating commercially.
As a result, consumers enjoy maximum benefits
while making international and Nation Wide Dialling
(NWD) calls at much lower prices. Presently, inter-
national call charges are as low as PKR 1.99 per minute
for selected countries. Private companies have also com-
pelled the incumbent operators to reduce their rates
signifi cantly. PTCL, for instance, has reduced its rates
by up to 14 percent for NWD calling cards and by
almost 40 percent on international calls to countries like
the USA and the United Kingdom. Out of 37 newly
licensed local loop companies, only three were able to
start their operations during 2005. Other licensees are
busy laying their infrastructure and their operations
will also contribute to increasing the fi xed teledensity
of the country.
Wireless Local Loop Services
Wireless Local Loop (WLL) services are gaining
popularity due to their relatively low deployment and
maintenance costs. This has led to fi xed line networks
being replaced with WLL services. Out of sixteen
licensed companies, four have started WLL services in
different regions of Pakistan. These are PTCL, Telecard,
Worldcall and GreatBear. WLL services are available
in more than 160 cities of Pakistan. The WLL segment
of the telecom sector has, in fact, shown tremendous
growth and the number of WLL subscribers reached
1.57 million in December 2006 from a level of only
81,030 in January 2005 (Pakistan Telecommunication
Authority, 2007a).
Internet Services
Early in 2006 Internet penetration in Pakistan remained
low. But the numbers are growing. There were 12
million Internet users (7.2 percent of the population)
by the end of 2006; however, low bandwidth is still a
concern for many users, although broadband access
is now available in the major cities (Internet World
Stats, 2007). Also, wireless broadband Internet has
been introduced by the WLL networks in many major
cities. There are now 1,898 cities with Internet access in
Pakistan, of which 1,166 are in Punjab Province, 202 in
Sindh Province, 420 in North-West Frontier Province
(NWFP), and 110 in Baluchistan Province.
Most Pakistani companies and government depart-
ments maintain websites, which has further increased
the demand for Internet access (Wikipedia, 2007a).
PTCL has now launched the Universal Internet Number
(UIN). To spread Internet to remote locations, PTCL
will make the UIN into a local call (from the remote loca-
tions) to the nearest Points of Presence (PoPs) of one or
more Internet Service Providers (ISPs). This will enable
equitable access. In parallel, a drastic reduction in leased
line charges will enable ISPs to go to smaller locations.
ISPs can subscribe to this highly effective service and
thus send to their customers a strong message of care
and service excellence (Pakistan Telecommunication
Company, 2007).
Rural Telecom Development
The telecom sector may be on the verge of expansion
but it still requires governmental action in the provision
of services to the rural areas. Considering this, the
government and the Pakistan Telecommunication
Authority (PTA) initiated a multibillion rupees project,
the Universal Service Fund (USF), which will help
provide funds to telecom operators in these deprived
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PAKISTAN’S EMERGING INFORMATION SOCIETY
Information Development (ISSN 0266-6669) Copyright © 2008 SAGE Publications. Vol. 24, No. 1, DOI: 10.1177/0266666907087698 71
areas. Furthermore, the PTA is also involving UNDP,
Zarai Traqiati Bank Ltd. (ZTBL) and post offi ces in
the establishment of telecentres and Public Call Offi ces
(PCOs). However, in terms of ‘real access’ as measured
by grass roots, needs-based, innovative applications
of ICTs, it lags behind most countries in the region.
Only the SDNP’s initiated Cyber Community Centres
and KADO’s (Karakoram Area Development Organ-
ization) ThreadNet (in Hunza) could be cited as small
examples of Pakistan’s efforts in this arena (Rizvi, 2003).
SDNP has come up with a model for using ICTs in
Rural Support Programmes (RSPs) in Pakistan which
has been presented to the various RSPs working in the
country. As a working model, it has helped selected
grassroots organizations to set up pilot Cyber Com-
munity Centres (CCCs) in Gwadar (Baluchistan),
Mithi (Tharparkar, Sindh) and Usterzai Payan (Kohat,
North-West Frontier Province). SDNP is planning to
expand the sphere of this activity by initiating a full-
fl edged project on Cyber Community Centres in Pakistan
(Sustainable Development Networking Programme,
Pakistan, 2003).
KADO’s ThreadNet (Hunza) is a small enter-
prise selling thread, the traditional embroidery and
products to the world through the Internet successfully
(Hameed, n.d.).
To provide the latest telecommunications and Internet
facilities in rural and far-off areas, the PTA has launched
a telecenter project called ‘Rabta Ghar’ (Telecenter).
Under this scheme, 400 telecenters will be established
in the fi rst phase, for each of which equipment worth
PKR 50,000 will be provided free of charge. Rabta
Ghar is a small business setup that provides PCO,
Internet, fax, printing and scanning services to small
communities. This will not only provide basic telecom
services in rural areas but will also create employment
opportunities. Individuals from those villages and union
councils will be considered for participation in Rabta
Ghar where the population is between 4,000 and 10,000
and no public telephone or net café facility is available
within a radius of 5 km (Pakistan Telecommunication
Authority, 2007b).
ELECTRONIC MEDIA
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority
(PEMRA) was established in 2002 with a charter to
establish a new vision of electronic media in the pri-
vate sector. PEMRA is mandated to issue licenses
for the establishment and operation of broadcasting
or re-broadcasting stations, including FM radio and
cable TV networks. During the fi rst nine months of
the fi scal year 2005–06, 31 licenses were awarded to
different groups for the establishment of cable TV and
FM radio in the major cities of Pakistan. PEMRA also
initiated the process of awarding licenses to international
standard TV stations to be operated through satellite
communication for the promotion of educational and
recreational facilities in the country. For this purpose,
sixteen licenses have been issued to satellite TV oper-
ators, including four educational channels. Among
them, twelve satellite TV channels have started their
operations. PEMRA has also granted multi-channel
multi-distribution service (MMDS) license to five
parties covering fi ve major cities of Pakistan. Cable
Television (CTV) is a fast growing segment among
the electronic media. For this purpose, 1,213 licenses
have also been issued to different categories of CTV
since its establishment. During the fi scal year 2005–06
PEMRA issued 200 CTV licenses. It has also granted
landing rights to fi fteen companies for the distribution
of foreign satellite TV channels in Pakistan (Pakistan
Electronic Media Regulatory Authority, 2006).
Computers at Post Offi ces
The Pakistan Post Offi ce has connected its main offi ces
located in fi fteen major cities, including Islamabad,
Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta, through infor-
mation technology. Furthermore, a fully computerized
system has been developed that transfers money from
196 countries and territories to Pakistan, with the col-
laboration of Western Union. All major post offi ces
in the country have been computerized (Pakistan Post,
2006).
THE EDUCATION SECTOR
E-Learning Initiative
Keeping emerging e-learning trends in view, the
Virtual University of Pakistan was established by the
government as a public sector, not-for-profi t institution
with a clear mission to provide extremely affordable
world-class education to aspiring students all over
the country. The Virtual University, Pakistan’s fi rst
university based completely on modern information
and communication technologies, using free-to-air
satellite television broadcasts and the Internet, allows
students to follow its rigorous programs regardless
of their physical locations. The University opened its
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72 Information Development (ISSN 0266-6669) Copyright © 2008 SAGE Publications. Vol. 24, No. 1, DOI: 10.1177/0266666907087698
virtual doors in 2002 and in a short span of time has
reached over 60 cities of the country with more than
100 associated institutions providing infrastructure
support to the students. Pakistani students residing in
several other countries of the region are also enrolled in
the university’s programs (Virtual University, 2007).
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of
Pakistan has launched the National Digital Library
program to provide researchers within public and pri-
vate universities and non-profi t research and devel-
opment organizations in Pakistan with access to
international scholarly literature based on electronic
(online) delivery, providing access to high quality, peer-
reviewed journals, databases and articles across a wide
range of disciplines. More than 20,000 journals can
be accessed through this library (National Digital
Library, 2007).
Another project of the HEC is the development
of the Pakistan Research Repository to promote
the international visibility of research originating in
institutes of higher education in Pakistan. The aim
of this service is to maintain a digital archive of the
intellectual output of Pakistani institutions, to provide
a single-entry access point to view this research, and to
distribute this information as widely as possible. The
repository, which is currently being populated with
content, has already made the full-text of over 1096
PhD theses available in high-quality digitized format.
The HEC has introduced a systematic mechanism
for the collection and digitization of the remaining
theses. Once completed, the repository will include
all PhD theses published by institutions in Pakistan,
estimated to be approximately 2,000 in number (Higher
Education Commission, 2007).
The Electronic Government Directorate (2007) has
also planned many programs for the promotion and
use of Internet for education and has decided to start
capacity building programs at the IT institutes and
universities and computer literacy programs for all
university graduates. These programs are briefl y dis-
cussed below.
Internet For Education
To promote the ICT in academic institutes following
initiatives will be taken by the government:
• Free leased line Internet access to the public sector
universities would be provided under an agreement
with the private sector Internet Service Providers
and PTCL.
• A wide-band Intranet, ‘Pakistan Educational Intra-
net (PEI)’, connecting all educational institutions
(public and private), would be established with a
centralized data warehouse containing teaching
and research material in order that resources may
be shared (through video-conferencing and
distance learning).
Strengthening and Capacity Building at IT Institutes
and Universities
Capacity will be strengthened at fi fteen institutions
(public and private) to enable them to offer quality
masters’ and PhD education in areas including com-
puter science, computer engineering, and management
information systems. These programs will be started by
obtaining the services of international faculty for one or
more semesters. The visiting faculty would also be re-
sponsible for conducting faculty refresher courses for
teachers with bachelors’ degrees in these areas.
One hundred institutions (public and private) will
be selected to offer quality bachelors’ education in com-
puter science and computer engineering, while the cap-
acity of 40 universities and colleges to offer postgraduate
diplomas in computer science and management infor-
mation systems, with a focus on systems analysis and
software project management, will be strengthened.
This program would aim at re-training 2,000 under-
employed graduates.
IT labs will be established at major public and private
sector universities, colleges, government training
institutes and schools. Capacity at 200 government
colleges will be strengthened to enable them to offer
the computer science paper at the Intermediate level.
The capacity of selected educational institutions to
introduce new technologies and provide training in
skills needed by the market will be developed. Short
courses will also need to be developed to cater for data
entry and other low-tech jobs.
Computer Literacy for all Graduates
IT usage in the public as well as the private sector is
much below the desired scale or level. To overcome this
problem, IT will be introduced as a compulsory subject
to graduates in all disciplines (engineers, doctors,
lawyers, business managers with commerce, science or
arts degrees) so that they become advocates of IT usage.
The Information Technology and Telecommunication
Division will engage consultants to prepare a scheme
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PAKISTAN’S EMERGING INFORMATION SOCIETY
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for implementation, in phases, starting with degree
colleges in district towns.
PAKISTAN DEVELOPMENT GATEWAY
Pakistan Development Gateway (PDG) is the pro-
duct of the Sustainable Development Networking
Programme, Pakistan (SDNP). It is a web resource for
all signifi cant development information pertaining to
Pakistan. Some of its unique features include searchable
information about Pakistan from more than 2,000
websites and selective international development
information relevant to Pakistan, which is indexed
and placed under well-known development categories.
More than 160 development sector websites created or
improved by SDNP as a result of its capacity building
initiative are accessible through the PDG. A daily
updated development news section about Pakistan,
forums for discussion and information exchange on
wide-ranging issues of sustainable development and
their archives are among its prominent features. This
facility is being constantly improved and upgraded.
Pakistan Development Gateway has also been
translated into Urdu, the national language of Pakistan
(Pakistan Development Gateway, 2007).
The websites reviewed below are indexed on the
PDG. These websites are related to electronic health,
commerce and industry and agriculture.
Electronic Health
Electronic health (e-health) is a relatively recent term
for health care practice which is supported by electronic
process and communication. This term can encompass
a range of services that are at the cutting edge of medi-
cine, healthcare and information technology, i.e.
electronic medical records; telemedicine; evidence
based medicine; consumer health informatics; health
knowledge management and virtual healthcare teams
(Wikipedia, 2007b).
In Pakistan telemedicine has been introduced
recently. The Ministry of Science and Technology
(MoST) has approved the fi rst telemedicine project,
the Health Information Resource Centre (HIRC).
The project was developed in collaboration with the
Pakistan Medical Research Council (PMRC) and
the National Telemedicine Forum (NTF), a working
group of the Technology Resource Mobilization Unit
(TReMU). Telemedicine works in two ways. The fi rst
method is ‘Store and Forward’ telemedicine whereby
the patient’s medical information is collected locally,
stored and then forwarded to a qualifi ed doctor in
any part of the world; a response can usually take
about 24 to 48 hours. The other technique is known
as ‘Real Time Telemedicine’ where the patient’s data
is made available to the specialist as soon as the local
doctor receives the information; this method uses video
conferencing and live data transmission technology
(Telemedicine, 2003).
Some other e-health websites include:
Doctor.org.pk (http.//www.doctor.org.pk/). This
unique medical portal serves as a patient guide for
common people. It allows patients to search out
the best doctors in the country for complete con-
sultation. The website offers online consultations
with the doctors.
Pakistan Reproductive Health Network (PRHN)
(http.//www.prhn.com/). The Pakistan Reproductive
Health Network (PRHN) was initiated in 1995 by
the Community Health Sciences Department of
Agha Khan University, Karachi. The purpose was
to provide a platform to discuss issues related to
gender, sexuality and reproductive health that could
contribute towards a more integrated approach to-
wards women’s health.
Heartfi le.org (http.//heartfi le.org/). It provides infor-
mation regarding heart care, health campaigns, fairs,
exhibitions and walks etc.
Telmedpak (http.//www.telmedpak.com/). This project
was launched to create awareness and facilitate elec-
tronic access to medical information for the public,
health professionals and medical students. It also
explores modalities for the provision of telemedicine
to the rural areas of Pakistan.
Pakistan Heart Foundation (PHF) (http.//phf.
sdnpk.org/). It was established in 1974 to provide
non-profit medicare, medical and paramedical
training and mobile mountain service. PHF has
a community-based participatory development
program and is carrying out clinically applied
research to the public at grassroots level. One of
its programs, School Health Project, is providing
education on global health issues to schoolteachers,
children and their parents.
Pakistan Kidney Patients Association (PKPA) (http.//
www.kidneypatients.org/). Pakistan Kidney
Patients Association (PKPA) is an NGO dedicated
to improving the quality of life of kidney patients.
The site contains a list of poor kidney patients,
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PAKISTAN’S EMERGING INFORMATION SOCIETY
74 Information Development (ISSN 0266-6669) Copyright © 2008 SAGE Publications. Vol. 24, No. 1, DOI: 10.1177/0266666907087698
along with their addresses for those who may wish
to help them.
Medisure (http.//www.medisure.com.pk/). This infor-
mative portal provides daily medical news, health
articles, and numerous medical information in ten
detailed sections, medical journals, libraries and
databases, web directories, medical search engines
and alphabetical list of pharmaceutical companies.
ELECTRONIC COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Electronic commerce (e-commerce) consists of the
buying and selling of products or services over elec-
tronic systems such as the Internet and other computer
networks. The government is paying special attention
to the development of e-commerce in Pakistan. It was
decided by the Electronic Government Directorate to
train 5,000 e-commerce professionals in implementation,
technology, business processes and re-engineering, etc.
(Electronic Government Directorate, 2007).
Some websites related to e-commerce, industry and
trade are discussed below.
B2B Pakistan (http.//www.b2bpak.com). The Lahore
Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has
launched Pakistan’s fi rst business portal website in
order to assist importers in searching raw material
and machinery and help exporters in introducing
Pakistani products without any extra cost.
Pakistanbusinessportals.com (www.PakBusinessPortals.
com). is a comprehensive portal with customized infor-
mation data banks and e-commerce capabilities.
Pak Trade (www.paktrade.org). The Pakistan Trade
Offi ce is operated by the Ministry of Commerce in
Pakistan providing all services (trade information,
investment opportunities, brochures and videos, etc.)
gratis and free of cost. The Pak Trade website pro-
vides information about trade, investment, travel,
regulations and a newsletter.
G77 Trade Information Network (http.//www.g77tin.
net/). The Global Management Center operates the
G77 Chambers Trade Information Network (G77-
TIN), which provides access to markets in the 133
member countries of the G77. G77-TIN was founded
by the G77 Chambers of Commerce to mobilize the
private sector in support of Economic Cooperation
among Developing Countries (ECDC).
Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI)
(http.//www.icci.com.pk/). This site provides lists
of major trade associations around the country,
and answers international trade inquiries regarding
import and export to and from Pakistan. This website
also has a section on forthcoming exhibitions and
trade fairs all around the world, as well as relevant
contact information.
Hilinks (http.//www.hilinks.com). This website by
E-Tech Group claims to be the fi rst international
portal in Pakistan. It provides a big web directory,
daily international and national news updates, world
business and Karachi stock exchange news.
Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority
(www.smeda.org). SMEDA has been established to
function as the apex policy-formulation body for
small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It represents
the SMEs within and outside Pakistan. The SMEDA
website provides useful links and a reasonable
collection of yellow pages, search engines, business
information and websites.
Export Processing Zones Authority Pakistan (www.epza.
com.pk). EPZ Pakistan was formed to plan, develop
and operate the export processing zones in Pakistan.
Its primary concern is to boost industrialization
and augment the country’s exports. The site gives
an overview of the incentives given to investors in
Pakistan and information about the procedure and
eligibility for investment.
Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries
(TCDC) Project in Pakistan (http.//www.panasia.
org.sg/tcdc/pakistan/index.html). The Economic
Affairs Division of the government, being a focal
point of Technical Cooperation among Developing
Countries (TCDC) has established a network
for Pakistani institutes in agriculture, aviation,
communication and education sectors, engineering
and manufacturing industries, environment, forestry,
fi sheries, health, livestock, mineral development,
network communications, petroleum and natural
resources, railways, steel, rural development sector,
science and technology, small scale industries,
computer and tourism industries, textiles and water
resource management.
AGRICULTURE AND ICT
To enhance the agricultural fi eld and get the benefi ts of
ICT for agricultural development, an apex agricultural
research organization, the Pakistan Agricultural
Research Council (PARC), is working at the national
level. Its main objective is to strengthen Pakistan’s agri-
cultural research system, comprising both federal and
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PAKISTAN’S EMERGING INFORMATION SOCIETY
Information Development (ISSN 0266-6669) Copyright © 2008 SAGE Publications. Vol. 24, No. 1, DOI: 10.1177/0266666907087698 75
provincial components. Recently PARC has established
a database for the medicinal plants of Pakistan. It is a
well-equipped database and provides information
about all medicinal plants available in Pakistan. The
database can be searched using local names, Urdu
or English names or botanical names of the plants
(Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, 2005). Many
agriculture-related websites and portals are accessible
through the Pakistan Development Gateway, some of
which are discussed below.
TelMedPak’s Agricultural Page (http.//www.telmedpak.
com/agriculture.asp). It provides information
on agricultural business and engineering, crops,
fertilizers, new agricultural technologies, pesticides
and weather updates. It provides news in Urdu and
Sindhi, with features on agricultural machinery,
trade and the agro-ecological zones of Pakistan.
Online polls, a calendar of national and international
agricultural events, related links, a members’ area,
discussion forums and questions to be asked from
experts are also available online, together with
relevant contact information.
Pakistan.com (www.pakissan.com). This upcoming
website is Pakistan’s fi rst Internet agricultural portal
and has an Urdu edition as well. Comprehensive
information is provided on the crops, fi sheries,
forestry, horticulture, livestock and orchids grown
in Pakistan. Regular updates on crops, diseases and
pests, advisories on model and corporate farming
are also available online.
NationalPak (http.//www.nationalpak.com). It pro-
vides a unique opportunity to access agricultural
information and facilitates electronic access to
farming techniques for the public. It also aims to
increase the use of information technology at agri-
cultural institutions in Pakistan. The site provides
detailed information about all major food or cash
crops of Pakistan and provides complete guidelines
for sowing, cropping and harvesting. The site
provides fresh updates in Urdu, an agricultural
directory and links to various agricultural research
and educational institutions.
Central Cotton Research Institute (http.//www.ccri.
org.pk/ ). The Institute was established in 1970 by
the Pakistan Central Cotton Committee under the
Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Live Stock, and
charged with the task to carry out research and de-
velopment on various aspects of cotton production.
The site has interesting links to plants pathology and
physiology, breeding, genetics, cytogenetics, etc. It
also carries statistical data on crop production.
GLOBAL COMPACT INITIATIVES IN PAKISTAN
WITH THE COLLABORATION OF UNIDO
The Global Compact is an expression of common values
and goals of participating companies, UN agencies,
labour and civil society organizations. These common
values are best expressed by partnership projects
contributing to the achievement of the UN Millennium
Development Goals. Through partnership projects,
companies participating in the Global Compact can
pool their knowledge and expertise with development
organizations, be they UN agencies, state agencies,
labour or NGOs. The objective of such partnership
projects is to help develop the host country in which a
Global Compact fi rm operates, by using the UN Mil-
lennium Development Goals and the Nine Principles
of the Global Compact as guidelines. Under the Global
Compact Initiative and the Business Partnership
Program of the United Nations Industrial Development
Organization (UNIDO), UNIDO Pakistan has been
successful in addressing developmental needs in line
with the Millennium Development Goals and moving
towards the achievement of a more sustainable and
inclusive global economy, public service delivery,
e-health, e-learning and e-commerce, etc. (Global
Compact, 2007).
OTHER ICT INITIATIVES
Other ICT initiatives can be seen in the Pakistan Com-
puter Bureau (PCB), which was established in 1971 and
attached to the Ministry of Information Technology
in 2000, with the following mandate: training of
offi cers and staff in public sector organizations in IT;
undertaking systems analysis, software development
and implementation of computer based systems; pro-
vision of advisory services for computerization in the
government and public sector organizations and
assisting in the implementation of initiatives of the
Ministry under the IT policy (Pakistan Computer
Bureau, 2004).
The Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) is a
guaranteed limited company with a Board of Directors
comprising representatives of the government, industry
associations and the private sector. PSEB is government-
owned, and is mandated to promote Pakistan’s IT
industry (Pakistan Software Export Board, 2007).
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PAKISTAN’S EMERGING INFORMATION SOCIETY
76 Information Development (ISSN 0266-6669) Copyright © 2008 SAGE Publications. Vol. 24, No. 1, DOI: 10.1177/0266666907087698
DISCUSSION
The information society is one in which quality of
life and economic development depend largely on
information and its exploitation – increasing use
of computers, commoditization of information,
convergence of computing and telecommunications,
e-governance, e-commerce, online education, universal
access to a telephone, Internet access, use of technology
for community development, and use of information
technology in the management of public utilities
(Martin, 1995). According to this defi nition, an infor-
mation society is emerging at a very fast pace in Pakistan,
as is evident from the indicators discussed above.
On the other hand, many authors have critically
discussed the bias of many information society meas-
ures. For instance, Perkins et al. (2001) mentioned that
the information society’s economic growth measure-
ments rely on advanced capitalistic features. Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) depends on census reports
and defi nitions of occupations. The linear perception
of the evolution of human societies assumes that
all aspects of services and information occupations
are more ‘advanced’ and knowledge intensive than
industrial and agricultural occupations.
Thus a large proportion of occupational activities in
Pakistan, especially those in the agricultural sector, do
not fall within the scope of the information society’s
market and statistical measurements. The real fruits of
the information society cannot be achieved in Pakistan
by ignoring this large section of the population and
their occupations. Keeping this reality in view, the
government’s ICT initiatives in the fi eld of agriculture
and the development of telecenters in rural areas are
appreciated. But higher authorities and policy makers
should carefully consider that the participation of the
social and cultural sectors in terms of real access should
be evident in all ICT initiatives. Real access goes beyond
computers and connections. It aims at providing the
right information to the right people when they need
it in forms they can understand. It is related not only
to connectivity but also to content and socio-cultural
factors. Special attention should be paid to enabling
socio-cultural factors, i.e. to create an environment in
which all people can use ICTs, especially those who are
limited or reluctant in their use of technology based on
gender, race, illiteracy or other socio-cultural factors.
Another barrier is that of language. Most, if not
all, websites in Pakistan provide information in
English. Yet in Pakistan, 68.3 percent of public sector
institutions use Urdu as the medium of instruction,
followed by 22.4 percent which use Sindhi. Only 1.4
percent use English the medium of instruction. In
Sindh, public schools in rural areas almost all use Sindhi
as the medium of instruction. In the private sector,
57.2 percent use Urdu and 28.4 percent use English
(National Education Census, 2005). Keeping these
statistics and ground realities in view, all government
websites which aim at providing services to the public
should provide information in Urdu and other local
languages.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
Like other countries in the South Asian region,
Pakistan exhibits a wide range of inequalities, which
add to its socioeconomic problems. Unemployment,
poverty, illiteracy, infl ation, regional inequality and
declining natural resources, etc. are enduring problems
which affect the growth and development of a real
information society in Pakistan. This paper concludes
and recommends that all the efforts made towards
the information society should be correlated with the
overall strategic planning and cultural heritage of the
country and new technologies should be adopted to
fully utilize its natural resources. Social and cultural
inclusion can be achieved by making the whole
population aware of the benefi ts provided for them
by making them IT literate and providing websites
in Urdu and other local languages. For making these
services easily accessible, more rural telecentres with
better facilities should be launched and the required
equipment should be provided. Agriculture, which
is the largest sector of Pakistan’s economy, must be
integrated into the information society infrastructure
for the effective application of information society
initiatives in Pakistan.
References
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Abstract
This paper reviews the transformation of Pakistan’s
agricultural society into an information society and
factors causing this transformation. Key indicators
of emerging information society in Pakistan are
analyzed with the help of literature search, website
visits and personal communication with experts.
The analysis reveals that many internal and external
factors are causing this transformation such as
declining natural resources and rapid growth in
population and its needs, international debt and
dictation by IMF and World Bank in each and every
economic and political move. The picture captured
through literature and website review reveals that
Pakistan’s agricultural society is rapidly transforming
into the information society. Key indicators for the
emergence of the information society in Pakistan
include e-government, IT policy, rapid growth of the
IT and telecom sector, increased teledensity, Internet
services, e-learning, e-health, e-commerce, etc.
Farzana Shafi que is Director, Al-A’khdar Educational
Movement, Lahore, Pakistan. E-mail: alakhdarem2001
@yahoo.com
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PAKISTAN’S EMERGING INFORMATION SOCIETY
78 Information Development (ISSN 0266-6669) Copyright © 2008 SAGE Publications. Vol. 24, No. 1, DOI: 10.1177/0266666907087698
Dr. Khalid Mahmood is Chairman, Department of
Library and Information Science, University of the
Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan. khalid@dlis.pu.edu.pk
Keywords: Information society; Pakistan
MORE ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY IN PAKISTAN
Information society and its status in Pakistan
Khan, M F. Pakistan Library Bulletin; 27 (1–2) Mar–Jun 96, p. 1–9.
Outlines briefl y the evolution of information in society from its early beginnings through to the Internet.
Analyses reasons for the poor provision in Pakistan where resources are seen as inadequate both in terms of
information and fi nancial support. The efforts of several institutions are described, including the Pakistan
Scientifi c and Technical Information Centre; the National Book Centre; the Pakistan Bibliographical Working
Group; and the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology. Programmes of support such as that of
the Netherlands Library Development Project, the National Documentation Centre Library and Information
Network, and the Development Information Network for South Asia are also examined. Makes 4 proposals
for improving the situation.
(Selected by the Editor from Library and Information Science Abstracts)
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