Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Sohail Afridi has formally launched the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Open Wi-Fi project, under which free internet access will initially be provided at government hospitals and public transport locations in Peshawar. Addressing the launch ceremony, the chief minister announced that free Wi-Fi facilities will also be extended to all public universities and colleges across the province as the initiative expands.
The chief minister said the first phase of the project will cover key government sites in Peshawar, while the next phase will extend coverage to all divisional headquarters, including Abbottabad, Mardan, Swat, Kohat, Bannu, and Dera Ismail Khan. The phased rollout is designed to gradually bring free public internet access to major urban centres across the province before expanding further into smaller districts.
Speaking at the event, the chief minister said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has moved nearly 70 to 80 percent toward digital governance, with the provincial government working in phases to make public services paperless. He said digital facilities will be delivered to every citizen in the province, framing the initiative as part of a broader push to modernise how residents interact with government services. He added that expanding internet access is creating new employment and business opportunities for young people, describing the provision of economic opportunities to youth as a core responsibility of the state, while noting that the growing trend of e-commerce in Pakistan represents a positive development for the wider economy.
The chief minister also criticised internet slowdowns and shutdowns, describing them as damaging to young people and the opportunities the digital economy can offer them. He pointed out that the province’s merged districts continue to lack basic connectivity infrastructure, with mobile phone service unavailable in many areas, let alone broader internet access, highlighting the disparity between urban centres benefiting from initiatives such as the new Wi-Fi project and more remote parts of the province still awaiting basic telecom coverage.
The Open Wi-Fi initiative adds to a series of digital governance measures the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has pursued in recent months, as the province continues working toward its stated target of near complete digital transformation of public services. With free internet access now being extended to hospitals, public transport hubs, and educational institutions in phases, officials are positioning the project as a practical step toward closing the digital divide between Peshawar and the rest of the province, while acknowledging that significant connectivity gaps remain in the merged tribal districts that will require separate, longer term infrastructure investment to address.
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