Two IT parks being set up in Pakistan, govt informs NA

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly was informed on Friday that the government has exempted Information Technology and IT-enabled services from income tax on export till June 2025 to bolster their exports.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan told the house during question hour that the IT is emerging as a vital organ of the national economy and the government is paying a great deal of heed to promote this sector.

He said two IT parks are being established in Pakistan with the cooperation of Korean government. He added work on the first IT Park in Islamabad has already been started whilst the second IT Park will be established in Karachi to further strengthen this sector.

Ali Muhammad Khan told the house that two million applications have so far been received under Naya Pakistan Housing project. He said under this mega project, loans will be given to the poorest segments of the society to build their houses without charging any interest from them as the government will incur this cost.

The Minister of State clarified that BISP is not being renamed. He said the government has started a comprehensive Ehsaas Programme and enhanced its allocations to 190 billion rupees from 100 billion rupees. He said under this initiative several programs are being launched for the poor segments of the society.

Ali Muhammad Khan said the Information Commission has been made functional and it is addressing the appeals received under Right of Access to Information Act 2017. He said since its establishment, the information commission has disposed of more than 100 appeals out of 265 received appeals.