CM aide pitches Punjab’s Digital Future to US envoy at Lahore meeting

• Senator Anusha Rahman briefs US envoy on tech vision, spotlighting Nawaz Sharif IT City as flagship project
• Says Digital Punjab initiative targets youth jobs, global markets, offering 10-year tax breaks, duty relief to IT investors

LAHORE: Senior Advisor to the Chief Minister Punjab, Senator Anusha Rahman, on Tuesday held a meeting with United States Consul General Mr. Stetson Sanders, who called on her along with his delegation, to discuss cooperation in digital transformation, technology-driven governance and youth employment.

The US delegation included Head of Political and Economic Affairs Mr. William Campbell, Political and Economic Affairs Specialist Ms. Sadaf Saad, Senior Commercial Specialist Mr. Hassan Raza and Economist Ms. Amina Anis. Chief Executive Officer of the Central Business District (CBD) Mr. Imran Amin and Secretary IT & IT Department Punjab Mr. Zaheer Hassan were also present during the meeting.

During the meeting, Senator Anusha Rahman briefed the US Consul General on a range of digital initiatives launched during various tenures of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), reflecting the party’s sustained commitment to leveraging technology to improve governance and create employment opportunities.

She highlighted flagship initiatives including ICT for Girls, National Incubation Centers, the Digital Skills Programme, the rollout and availability of 3G and 4G spectrum, and landmark projects aimed at extending affordable internet connectivity to remote and underserved areas of the country. She said these initiatives had helped position Pakistan as an emerging player in the global digital landscape.

Discussing progress on the Nawaz Sharif IT City project under the vision of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for Digital Punjab, Senator Rahman said the chief minister was fully committed to creating dignified employment opportunities for youth through advanced technologies. In line with this vision, she said, the Punjab IT Department had been established to strengthen the digital economy and enhance the use of digital technologies in governance and public sector service delivery.

She further explained that the IT Department was working to enact legislation focusing on the provision of high-speed internet, including satellite-based connectivity, while also creating pathways for youth to join the global workforce through enhanced digital access.

Under the leadership of the Punjab chief minister, she said, the youth of Punjab were making significant progress in the field of information technology.

Senator Rahman noted that the commitments made in the PML-N manifesto, led by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in Punjab, were now translating into tangible outcomes. She said Pakistan ranked among the top three freelancing countries globally, with a substantial contribution from Punjab. To further strengthen IT education and skills, she added, incubation centers and Centers of Excellence were being established across the province.

She also emphasized that the Punjab government was actively welcoming international investment in the technology sector and providing maximum facilitation to investors. As part of these efforts, she said, companies operating in Nawaz Sharif IT City Lahore were being offered a ten-year income tax exemption along with customs duty relief. She expressed the desire for Nawaz Sharif IT City Lahore and Silicon Valley, California, to be accorded sister city status.

US Consul General Mr. Stetson Sanders appreciated the Punjab government’s initiatives in modern technology and expressed keen interest in various digital projects, particularly Nawaz Sharif IT City. He said the technology-driven public welfare initiatives in Punjab were highly commendable and welcomed the proposal to establish sister-city relations between Lahore and California in the technology sector.

He further remarked that Pakistani youth possessed immense talent and expressed optimism that the Punjab government’s ongoing technological initiatives would yield positive and far-reaching results.