Digital Youth Summit concludes: KP finance minister says steps on for promotion of IT

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Finance Taimoor Salim Jhagra said on Sunday the government was taking steps for promotion of information technology in the province.

Speaking at the concluding session of the fifth edition of the Digital Youth Summit here on Sunday, he pointed out that information technology companies were coming to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province for investment.

A large number of people thronged the venue on the last day to take benefit of the event. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB) organized the summit with the Jang/Geo group as its media partners.

“The provincial government is taking steps for promotion of information technology. The youth’s enthusiasm in the summit showed that people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are ready to embrace technology for the development of the province,” said the minister.

He appreciated the KPIT Board’s steps for youth development. All and sundry must take responsibility for industrial development of the province, he said. He later presented shields to the IT experts.

Asad Umar congratulated the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for organising a successful summit. He said information technology was his favourite sector as its promotion would ensure development of the country. He urged the youth to utilise their energies and equip themselves with information technology for the development of Pakistan.

He said that successful implementation of IT would transform governance and ensure better service delivery. The government should prepare the youth for leading roles in the IT sector at international level, he said.

There were some inspiring examples of the display of entrepreneurial spirit of young people at the Digital Youth Summit.

Abullah Khan Swati, a grade-VII student at the Government High School, Lambarkot in Manshera, had showcased his game at the event. He had developed the game in scratch programming language.

He said that he developed interest in programming when KPITB arranged programming classes at his school. “I learned basic programming at the school and would now study Computer Science at higher level,” he added.

Abdullah Khan Swati said he participated in a national competition in Lahore in January and won the first prize. He added he had been told that he would be sent to China to participate in an international competition.

“I have been offered a scholarship to study at the Fazle Haq College in Mardan and would soon get enrolled there,” he added.

Social entrepreneur Shafiq Gigyani appreciated the KP government for regularly organising the digital summit in Peshawar. He said the summit had created awareness among KP’s youth about the importance of digital technology.

He opined that digital technology could be used for bringing improvement in every sphere of life. “Digital tools are best for market exploration and products promotion,” he said. “These tools can create markets for our products that are gradually been replaced by international brands,” he argued.

“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is quickly emerging as Pakistan’s most forward thinking province and we welcome all partners to join our vision of digital KP,” Managing Director KPITB Dr Shahbaz Khan said during his concluding remarks.