A delegation from Balochistan, comprising representatives from the Science and Information Technology Department (S&IT), Planning and Development, and the Asian Development Bank, visited Punjab IT Board (PITB) to gain a detailed understanding of PITB’s role in supporting the Punjab government’s digitization, e-governance, and technology-driven public service delivery. The delegation was led by S&IT Department IT Trainings Director Jawad Ahmed and focused mainly on discussing the establishment of an IT Park in Quetta, alongside other key initiatives. The visit adds to a long-running pattern of Balochistan government delegations visiting PITB over the years to study Punjab’s ICT interventions, with similar visits dating back to at least 2018 covering areas ranging from e-governance and land record systems to livestock department digitization and transport sector IT solutions.
PITB Director General Sajid Latif briefed the delegation on key initiatives, ongoing projects, and technological innovations aimed at improving efficiency, transparency, and institutional coordination across Punjab and beyond. The delegation also visited the Data Center established at Arfa Software Technology Park (ASTP), receiving a detailed briefing on the facility from ADG Admin and PD ASTP Zulfiqar Ali Shaheen. PITB senior officials, including ADG Khurram Mushtaq, ADG Haroon Rasul Khokhar, and Director Ahmad Islam Syan, were also present during the visit, giving the Balochistan delegation direct access to the officials overseeing PITB’s core technology infrastructure and operations.
The focus on establishing an IT Park in Quetta connects to a broader, multi-year effort by the Balochistan government to build dedicated technology infrastructure in the province, following earlier plans for a provincial IT Park estimated at around Rs500 million and a separate 2021 MoU between the Pakistan Software Export Board and Ultrasoft System to set up a technology park near Quetta International Airport. Bringing the Asian Development Bank directly into this latest delegation suggests the current IT Park push may be seeking international development financing or technical partnership support, distinguishing it from earlier provincially funded technology infrastructure proposals for the city.
The delegation lauded PITB for its contribution to establishing Punjab’s ICT infrastructure and expressed keen interest in pursuing the initiative further, a sentiment that has echoed through nearly every previous Balochistan delegation visit to PITB over the past several years. Whether this particular visit translates into concrete progress on the Quetta IT Park, beyond the study-tour stage that similar past visits have often remained at, will likely depend on how effectively the S&IT Department, Planning and Development, and ADB coordinate on financing and implementation once the delegation returns to Balochistan with the insights gathered from PITB’s digitization model.
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