Staff Report
ISLAMABAD:
The Federal Cabinet has granted approval for the formation of a 19-member Board of Governors (BoG) for the Special Technology Zone Authority (STZA) ostensibly to achieve an annual IT export target of $10 billion, it was learnt on Friday.
According to sources, a three-member committee headed by Ahad Khan Cheema, Advisor to the Caretaker Prime Minister, has selected the members of BoG of the Special Technology Zone Authority (STZA) and the federal cabinet has granted approval for the appointment of 19-member BoG of STZA in an apparent bid to achieve an annual IT export target of $10 billion.
The formation of a 19-member Board of Governors (BoG) for the Special Technology Zone Authority (STZA) is an important step that will help Pakistan advance toward becoming a regional ICT center, said sources.
They added that the establishment of the STZA BoG demonstrates the government’s dedication for establishing Pakistan as a major player in the global IT industry.
The sources also informed that following the approval of the federal cabinet, the Prime Minister has been appointed as the President of the STZA BoG. Additionally, eight experts from the private sector, along with the Director General of the Strategic Plans Division and provincial chief secretaries from Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have been appointed as board members. The BoG also includes Federal Secretaries from the Cabinet Division, Ministry of Information Technology & Telecom, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Science & Technology, and Ministry of National Food Security, as well as the Chairman of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).
As per sources, the three-member committee responsible for the selection of the BoG members was comprised of Hassan Nasir Jamy, Secretary of IT & Telecom and Secretary of the Committee; Muhammad Jahanzaib Khan, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and Committee Member; and Ahad Khan Cheema, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Establishment and Committee Chairman.
It is pertinent to mention that caretaker Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication, Dr Umar Saif while speaking as the chief guest at the 23rd ITCN Asia 2023 in Karachi, themed “Declaring Pakistan the Regional ICT Hub” had revealed an ambitious roadmap to attain an annual export target of $10 billion.
