ISLAMABAD: At a meeting to discuss funds allocated and released by the information technology ministry, the National Assembly Standing Committee on IT was informed by Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) managing director Asim Shahryar that where India has 53 software technology parks, Pakistan has none.

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MNA Amjad Ali Khan, who was chairing Wednesday`s meeting, remarke d: `No wonder Pakistan is still 100 years behind some developed countries.` Defending the ministry, senior officials attempted to tell the committee that initiatives were underway to build a sound IT industry in the country.

During his presentation, Mr Shahryar said three software technology parks, which are spaces developed specifically for IT entrepreneurs and businesses, have been planned. An $88 million IT park in Islamabad was being developed with assistance from Korea, for which a feasibility study was completed.

`The land for IT park has been provided in Chak Shahzad. The park is being built on a soft loan, with a 40 year payback period,` Mr Shahryar said. He did not indicate when the project would begin.

However, the PSEB has faced difficulties building a Rs650 million IT park in Lahore. The board paid the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Rs330 million for land near the airport in Lahore, but after accepting half the payment the CAA declined toprovide the PSEB the property for security reasons.

`The Punjab government does not permit any construction near the airport as a matter of policy and for security reasons. The space around the airport has been reserved for horticulture purposes.

However, we are negotiating with the Punjab government to provide the PSEB with alternate land in the Defence Housing Authority,` he said.

IT ministry budget Ministry of IT Joint Secretary Syed Khalid Gardezi told the standing committee that the Special CommunicationOrganisation (SCO) took the lion`s share of the ministry`s annual budget.

He said Rs922 million were allocated to the ministry for various schemes in 2015-16.

Of the nearly Rs1 billion, 71pc Rs660 million were taken by the SCO for various projects, including laying over 800 kilometres of fibre optic cable across the country, mainly in Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, setting up base transceiver stations to spread mobile telecommunications and expanding broadband services.

The meeting was informed that one SCO project involved laying fibre optic cables from Rawalpindi to the Khunjerab Pass, under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor.

The project has two components: 15pc of its expenses are being picked up by the Pakistani government under the Public Sector Development Programme, and the remaining expenditure will be carried out using a loan from China with a payback period of 20 years.