ISLAMABAD JULY29: Concerns over the Ministry of IT and Telecom’s (MoIT&T) rightsizing have been voiced by telecom providers. In a letter to Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister of State for IT and Telecom, the Telecom Operators Association expressed their concerns and emphasized the ministry’s critical role in establishing telecom sector policy. They contend that the IT and telecom industries, as well as Digital Pakistan, would suffer if the ministry was dissolved.
As per the correspondence, MoIT&T plays a crucial part in the sector’s governance framework, adhering to worldwide industry standards and Pakistan’s WTO obligations. The ministry has been in charge of policy development and execution since 2000, which has resulted in the telecom industry seeing significant expansion. The ministry’s policy environment has drawn substantial investment, amounting to $28
Because of this, 195 million telecom users are being served, translating to a tele density of more than 81% of the population. Additionally, through different taxes and fees, these users contribute almost $27 billion to the national coffers.
The association underscores that specialized domain knowledge is essential for managing the IT and telecommunications sectors effectively. The potential dissolution of the ministry could lead to a loss of this expertise, resulting in inefficiencies in addressing sector-specific challenges.
Since combining these functions into another ministry might dilute this concentration and result in slower reaction times and less effective policy execution, a separate ministry would guarantee that the special demands of these sectors are fulfilled with concentrated attention.
