PTCL deregulation policy soon: Awais

Staff Report

LAHORE: Federal Communication and Information Technology (IT) Minister Sardar Awais Ahmad Khan Leghari on Wednesday said Pakistan Telecommunications Company Limited’s (PTCL) deregulation policy would be approved within two weeks. Addressing reporters at the Lahore Press Club, he said due to subsidised local calls, the tariff rate of international and long distance calls would be reduced in the upcoming policy.

He said the country’s IT sector was hit due to the shortage of the software houses. However, the ministry had planned to overcome the shortage. He said by developing new software houses, thousands of new jobs would be created and for this purpose, the ministry had decided to help all four provinces to develop their software houses. Software houses would also be developed to computerise Punjab’s revenue records and Zakat committee systems, he added. He rejected the IT export figure of $38 billion by former Science and Technology minister Dr Attaur Rehman and said the claim was made to attract foreign investment. Pakistan’s current IT export volume was $300 million, he added. He said under the PTCL’s upcoming plan, satellite public call office facilities would be provided to the private sector. The companies interested in the satellite PCO business to be started in the country’s remote areas would be provided incentives.

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