Creating an Ecosystem for #DigitalPakistan | Conversations@Jazz

In this special episode, we talk of the game-changing impact of a facilitatory regulatory environment. “In 2014, there were only 3 million internet users in Pakistan. Today, there are 62 million” – Ali Naseer, Chief Corporate and Enterprise Officer, Jazz. The transformation has been phenomenal, but could it have been better and how do we do when we compare our real potential, relatively speaking with where we are not. Pakistan ranks among the bottom few nations in terms of digital readiness. Our panel feels we can leapfrog into something bigger.

The power panel has Fahd Husain, Editor of Express Tribune and Executive Director of Express News Television making a content case for rapid digitalization. It also has the leading lawyer on constitutional law where his cases have had significant corporate and commercial implications, Salman Akram Raja, Advocate Supreme Court. Ali Naseer, Chief Corporate & Enterprise Officer at Jazz directed the panel conversation from an industry-focused perspective.

Fahd Husain says when you free up digital from bureaucratic shackles, it leads to democratization and transparency. He also said that the potential of media to be monetized online needs to be recognized by both policymakers and corporates.

Salman Akram Raja believes that the ease of doing business in Pakistan is the cornerstone for any ICT pivot. The most important aspect according to him is to ensure that those making laws and policy are both consistent and empowered. He cautions that prior restraint as a legal principle should be carefully employed so that power is not concentrated with a few. A level playing field is necessary for all ideas and expression on electronic media and likewise online. He said the telecom sector is critical to all other commercial aspects of Pakistan’s development.

Ali Naseer concurs and adds that the role corporates, scholars of the law, and media gurus must play is to develop a digital ecosystem with the urgency it deserves. With automation threatening the traditional job market, he said that a new set of skills must be developed for a more innovative future. To be productive for the millions of youth entering the job market every year, Jazz is leading the conversation for the industry to power a #DigitalPakistan.

Watch the episode and share your thoughts below!