LAHORE – Partnering with the tech leaders in the private sector to improve the digital footprint of Pakistan and IT exports is the underlying spirit behind the Punjab Information Technology Board’s (PITB) latest initiative, ‘BizLinks’.

The initiative is a major step forward towards collaborative engagement with tech leaders through strategic partnerships and jointly exploring business opportunities nationwide and globally. In this regard, PITB Chairman Faisal Yousaf hosted an event at Arfa Software Technology Park (ASTP) that included leading players from the IT industry and members of the public sector.

A special portal (bizlinks.pitb.gov.pk) was also launched during the event which showcases PITB’s products and services and the signup facility for interested partners. 

The guests included P@SHA Chairman Zohaib Khan, PITB Board Member Jehan Ara and other industry leaders including Abacus, Inbox, Lumensoft, InfoTech, CureMD, Autosoft Dynamics, Nextbridge and CEO Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT). 

Chairman Faisal Yousaf briefed the audience on ‘BizLinks initiative’ underlining the importance of working together for uplifting IT exports. He also highlighted key PITB initiatives in the areas of Supporting Business, Knowledge Economy and Citizen Centric Services.

PITB Director General,  Business Development & Training, Saima Shaikh gave an overview of the ‘BizLinks Portal’ and how it would help in taking the initiative forward. The stakeholders lauded the spirit of the initiative and assured of their support in making this a success.

On this occasion, Chairman Faisal Yousaf remarked that the launch of BizLinks initiative marks the beginning of a new era of collaboration between PITB and the private sector. “With a special focus on boosting and promoting the local tech industry, PITB aims at working with the private sector to reach out to the world and explore business opportunities within and beyond the region to enhance IT exports and earn valuable foreign exchange,” he added.

P@SHA Chief Zohaib Khan termed the initiative a welcome move towards supporting the local tech industry. “We congratulate PITB for this great initiative and look forward to working together for the cause of Pakistan,” he stated.

Senior officials from PITB including DG IT-Solutions Waqar Naeem Qureshi, DG Government Digital Services Muhammad Waseem Bhatti, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Adil Iqbal Khan, Directors Syed Nayyer Ali, Muhammad Badar Munir, Jahanzeb Akbar and Hasnain Iqbal, as well as Joint Directors Mudassir Paracha and Hammad Bin Khalique, were also present.

PITB flagship products have been made part of this initiative including e-Pay Punjab, Ease of Doing Business (EoDB), e-FOAS, e-Stamping and School Information System (SIS).

e-Pay Punjab, a smart and reliable one-stop solution for making online payments for government taxes, allows citizens to make payments for 26 taxes/levies of 11 different departments from the comfort of their homes.

For Ease of Doing Business (EoDB), an online portal was developed which has improved the Global Ranking of Pakistan for the 'Starting a Business' indicator. Owing to this, the same was then extended to Sindh & Balochistan as well. e-Filing and Office Automation System (e-FOAS) aims at transforming conventional paperwork into a completely paperless environment to enhance efficiency and ensure transparency. e-Stamping System digitizes the issuance of stamp papers eliminating paper and process-related fraudulent practices, and leakage of government revenue while storing information in digital form to ensure transparency.

It is successfully operational across Punjab and is being implemented by Punjab IT Board in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. School Information System (SIS) offers real-time data which helps in improving school administration processes and making timely decisions. The real-time data is available in the district wise too. The system is developed by Punjab IT Board in collaboration with Punjab School Education Department.

The event concluded with the spirit that all of the stakeholders will work to ensure continuity in engagement and make ‘BizLinks a success.