Islamabad, 22nd October, 2025; The 16th meeting of the Standing Committee on Information Technology & Telecommunication was held today under the Chairmanship of Syed Amin ul Haq, MNA at 11:30 a.m in the Committee Room of the Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunications, Islamabad.

The Committee, while reviewing the progress of the Islamabad IT Park, observed that the project was scheduled to be completed by 31st October 2025; however, only 80% of the work has been completed so far. The Ministry explained that the delay occurred due to changes of contractor and consultant from Korea, which had a significant impact on the overall pace of work and resulted in delays. It was further informed that the Prime Minister has issued clear directions to ensure that the project is completed within the current year. Accordingly, the pace of work has been accelerated, and the project is expected to be completed within its revised timeline of 31st December 2025.

The Committee emphasized that the Ministry should also initiate development projects in smaller cities to promote industrialization and economic growth across the country. In response, the Ministry briefed that Special Technology Parks are being introduced in small cities through the private sector, under which interest-free loans are being provided for the establishment of such projects. These initiatives aim to facilitate entrepreneurs and local investors and promote technology-based industries in underdeveloped regions.

The Committee decided to defer “The Prevention of Obscenity and Indecency in Digital Media Bill, 2025” to the next meeting, as the Mover of the Bill was not present. It was decided that the Bill would be taken up in the next meeting.

The Sub-Committee, constituted under the Convenorship of Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti, presented its report to the Standing Committee. The Standing Committee expressed satisfaction over the report and endorsed its recommendations. The Committee further directed the Ministry to ensure strict implementation of the Sub-Committee’s recommendations in letter and spirit.

Besides the Federal Minister and Parliamentary Secretary for Information Technology the following MNAs namely Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhatti, Dr. Mahesh Kumar Malani, Mr. Sadiq Ali Memon, Mr. Ahmad Saleem Siddiqui, Mr. Ahmad Atteeq Anwar, Mr. Ammar Ahmad Khan Leghari, Mr. Ali Qasim Gillani, Rana Iradat Sharif Khan, Ms. Shazia Farid, Ms. Gulnaz Shahzadi besides the officials of the Ministry and its attached departments attended the meeting.