The digital future ahead

Will the government do what is needed to enter it?

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar showed on Wednesday at the launch of the headquarters of China’s IBI in Islamabad that he can talk the talk. But can he make the government of which he is part walk the walk? While the IBI Group’s activities run the gamut of activities under the Belt and Road Initiative of China, tin Pakistan it is going to focus on integrating Pakistan into the Digital Silk Road. Senator Dar pointed out that the emphasis on physical infrastructure was now outdated, and the emphasis was now on digital architecture, and the building’s launch marked the building of a Digital Silk Road. He also said that Pakistan’s moment had come, as the country was no longer ‘waiting for its moment’.

If indeed the country’s moment has come, then there are certain things the government must ensure. First, it has to ensure the type of education which will allow the products of the educational system to take their rightful place in the digital future just ahead. Then there is the apparently mundane, but absolutely crucial task of ensuring that internet availability is universal all over the country. Closely related to this is to ensure that electricity is also universally available, for there is no real point in internet connectivity if there is no electricity to power the computers which must be connected. And it is not just computers: The Internet of Things requires electricity for items to run on it. The problem does not seem to be the country’s emerging into the 21st century, or being at the edge of any type of advanced technology, it see’s to be one of getting the country into the 20th century. Guaranteeing a reliable source of electricity is not rocket science; it is a 20th century technology. As the government currently monopolizes power production, that is a government problem.

Senator Dar showed that he was aware of where the future lies, not just for Pakistan, but the entire world. If Pakistan’s moment has indeed come, it will be up to the government to create the enabling environment. Meeting the needs of such international concerns as the IBI Group will also benefit Pakistani entrepreneurs. However, there has to be change in officialdom first, because it should be understood that the digital highway will not just be for elites, but will also be a great leveler. The is no red tape needed when files are digital rather than physical.