Infrastructure Development in Pakistan

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Rawalpindi Islamabad Metro Bus

 

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Thar

 

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Jacobabad Institute of Medical Sciences - Completed

 

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DHQ Hospital, Tando Muhammad Khan - U/C

City Court Mirpurkhas U/C

 

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Gosh-e-Taskeen (Do Darya) Dining Spot Khairpur Completed

up gradation of 132KV grid station at Nooriabad, District Jamshoro

 

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Bahria Icon Karachi

KARACHI Mega G4 Corporate Office Tower

 

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Karachi Lucky One

 

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Continue

 

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Render Lucky One Karachi

IT Park Islamabad: South Korean bank to conduct feasibility study

Staff Report
May 16, 2015


ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information Technology and Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) approved on Friday the conducting of a feasibility study by South Korean Eximbank for an IT Park in Islamabad having an annual exports potential of $120 million.


Minister of State for IT Anusha Rehman Khan said that the IT Park in Islamabad would be the first one out of total three IT parks. Other two such IT parks would be established in Lahore and Karachi, she added.
The IT minister said that her ministry is in the process of finalising the land acquisition for the remaining two cities. She added, “Pakistan is ranked at 4th position when it comes to reaping revenues in IT-based freelancing and the IT exports have experienced 35% growth in the last year.”
South Korea’s Ministry of Strategy and Finance Director General Seoung-ho Jin said that Eximbank would appoint a Korean company for the feasibility report by July this year. Ambassador for South Korea Song Jong Hawan held that although both the countries had similar economies during the sixties, however, South Korea took the lead by merely taking advantage of the developments in the field of IT. He added that Pakistan today holds tremendous opportunity for benefiting from the same. He said the IT Park in the federal capital would serve as a milestone in establishing strategic partnership between the two countries.
Among the participants were Eximbank Director Park Song-yun, dignitaries from the South Korean Ministry of Strategy and Finance, representatives of the IT ministry and PSEB.


FEATURE: Pakistan tech on the rise

May 1, 2015 by Juliana Kenny in Enterprise Tech.
http://blogs.blouinnews.com/blouinbe...h-on-the-rise/

Pakistan rarely makes the news for its technological progress or contributions to the tech world at large. Sadly it is better known for its civil unrest, homegrown terrorists, and extremist violence. But the country is encouraging a growing faction of entrepreneurs in technology, and is not to be left out of the evolving tech scene. Despite an internet penetration level of under 15% as of last year according to Internet World Stats, some are looking to the country’s startup culture and its lack of legacy infrastructure to help it develop a successful technology industry.

Startup accelerator Invest2Innovate (i2i) has been supporting entrepreneurs and small business owners for a few years now; Tech in Asia reports this week that the accelerator has mentored 16 young businesses. Graduate startups from i2i have raised US$700,000 in investment so far — what seems like a paltry sum to Silicon Valley tech, but the accelerator is boosting jobs and advancing interest in tech. In December of last year, Kalsoom Lakhani, founder and CEO of i2i commented on the movement towards supporting technological innovations in Pakistan for The Next Web: “A number of Pakistan-based technology entrepreneurs – many of whom have had some exposure to well-developed ecosystems like Silicon Valley, New York or London – have been and remain deeply committed to growing this space, often participating as judges, mentors, advisors and investors to competitions, incubators/accelerators and startups.” The accelerator has plans for expanding into other countries as well.

Other startups have gained international recognition, particularly gaming-based businesses. The lack of internet penetration in Pakistan is certainly a hindrance to native tech adoption, but that has not stopped game developers from becoming popular with players and users in other countries. And tech like social gaming is important for developing tech culture as it promotes connecting with users through digital forums. Despite rampant poverty throughout Pakistan, there is growing interest in what internet connection has to offer. Figures like Mariam Adil — a woman at the forefront of Pakistan’s tech entrepreneur scene and startup culture — have become famous for promoting the country’s vested interest in gaming, social technology, and web-based development.

Yet, obvious obstacles remain. One of them being the government’s work to tightly control cyber culture within the country. In late April, the parliament examined a proposed bill entitled The Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2015, which would allow the government to censor content and criminalize certain web-based activity under broad parameters. The bill would also allow the government to access data on individual users without any judicial processes. Such legislation mirrors the behavior of Pakistan’s neighbor China. Perhaps the country has been taking notes. No doubt, as startups gain ground in Pakistan, there will be an inevitable pushback against laws that strictly regulate internet use.

Iran, Pakistan, and China Form Energy Partnership
By Tim Maverick, Commodities Correspondent

An energy deal two decades in the making looks like it’s finally coming to fruition.

A natural gas pipeline will be built from Iran to energy-needy Pakistan. Dubbed the “Peace Pipeline,” the project brings Iran and Pakistan – countries that have often been at odds – into a mutually beneficial partnership.

China is a part of this deal, too. In fact, the Chinese are funding 85% of the project. The country is footing the $2-billion bill for the 485-mile Pakistani section of the pipeline. The 560-mile Iranian section is already completed.

The project is being managed by a subsidiary of the China National Petroleum Corporation, and will take about two years to complete.

When and if the project is completed, it’ll truly be a blessing for Pakistan. The pipeline will bring in enough natural gas to power 4,500 megawatts of electricity generation. That’s nearly equivalent to the country’s current electricity shortfall!

Of course, all of this depends on whether the sanctions on Iran are eased.

Bearing Big Gifts

The specifics surrounding the “Peace Pipeline” were agreed to when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Pakistan to formalize a $46-billion infrastructure package between the two countries called the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

That $46 billion is nearly triple the amount of foreign direct investment that Pakistan received since 2008! It also dwarfs prior U.S. aid packages to Pakistan.

The package includes other energy projects, a fiber-optic cable linking the countries, roads, and railways.

A cornerstone of the corridor will be the development of the Gwadar warm-water port, which will include an airport. The port in Pakistan will make it easier to ship goods into Western China, which is far from China’s active east coast ports.

The transport links will also give China valuable access to the Indian Ocean and key export markets in both Central and South Asia.

But all of this is dependent on if Pakistan can control all of the terrorist activity in the country. On April 21, the Pakistan government said it would assign a 12,000-strong security force to protect the Chinese workers that’ll be working in the country.
China’s Big-Picture Thinking

China’s generosity is all part of a plan unveiled in 2013 by President Jinping. Originally called the Silk Road Economic Belt, it was renamed “One Belt, One Road”. The plan is designed to promote regional stability, expand China’s economic footprint, and boost its industrial exports.

The whole idea is to link the 4.4 billion people throughout Asia, and then extend the links even further into places like Russia and Turkey.

The centerpiece of this grand plan involves countries on or near the Indian Ocean. Thus, the $2-billion “Peace Pipeline” and the other infrastructure spending in Pakistan.

China is using part of its massive $3.7-trillion foreign exchange reserve to inject at least $62 billion into state-owned “policy banks” to support this grand scheme. These “banks” include the Export-Import Bank of China, China Development Bank, and the Agricultural Development Bank of China.

Add China’s New Silk Road strategy to the 50 countries supporting the China-led Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, and you have a lot of major infrastructure projects, many of which involve bringing energy to a part of the world that needs it.

This plan should keep China’s industrial and construction companies strong, as most of the work will be done by Chinese firms. In turn, the construction work will keep the economy rolling and people employed as China’s leaders try to transition the domestic economy to more of a consumer-led economy.

It’s interesting to note that the original Silk Road strategy was an idea brought forward by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in 2011 to bring together Central Asian countries through economic and other ties.

That idea died on the vine. But China took it, expanded it, and is pushing ahead with it… as it pushed the United States’ former influence aside in that part of the globe.

And the chase continues,

Tim Maverick

 

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China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

detail route and features

 

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Rawalpindi Islamabad Metro Bus

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MURREE ROAD Bahria Golf City

 

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MURREE ROAD Bahria Golf City

 

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