Friday, July 04 2025

Digitalisation key to transparent economy: PM
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday stressed the need for implementing the digital transaction system across the country, insisting that it is vital to bring transparency to the economy. Chairing a weekly meeting on cashless and digital economy at the Prime Minister’s House, he emphasised the need to facilitate payments between citizens and businesses and raise awareness about the use of digital systems. The premier instructed the committees formed for the cashless economy to work closely with all stakeholders to present doable recommendations. The prime minister was informed that following the previous meeting, the Digital Payments Innovation and Adoption Committee, Digital Public Infrastructure Committee and the Government Payments Committee had been established.
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Thursday, July 03 2025

China’s Alibaba launches e-commerce subsidies of $7bn in consumption boost
The online retail platform of Chinese tech giant Alibaba announced on Wednesday that it will issue $7 billion in subsidies for certain purchases, providing a much-needed boost for a country struggling with sluggish spending. Taobao, China’s e-commerce champion launched by Alibaba in 2003, said in a WeChat statement that the 50bn yuan ($6.97bn) would “directly subsidise consumers and merchants” over a 12-month period starting Wednesday. The spending incentives on Taobao’s “flash purchase” feature will take the form of “red envelopes” — a digital form of traditional cash gifts — as well as discounts on products, deliveries and commissions, the statement said.
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Friday, June 20 2025

IT minister reaffirms 5G rollout plans as mobile users cross 200m
IT and Telecom Minis­ter Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Thursday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to launching 5G internet services, stating that work on the project was ongoing. She was speaking at a ceremony to mark a major milestone — Pakistan surpassing 200 million telecom subscribers, including 150m broadband users and over 2m fibre-to-home subscribers. Organised by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the event highlighted the country’s accelerating digital growth. Senior executives from Jazz, Telenor, Ufone, Zong, and SCO were in attendance. To celebrate the achievement, all mobile users will receive 2GB of free data and 200 on-net minutes, valid for 24 hours on Friday (June 20). Subscribers can activate the offer by dialing *2200#.
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Friday, June 13 2025

Govt putting squeeze on e-commerce and the ‘non-compliant’
The federal government has proposed sweeping reforms to tighten tax compliance, including significantly higher penalties for non-compliance and stronger enforcement measures to target under-taxed and digitally active sectors. The changes, proposed in the Finance Bill 2025, aim to deter non-compliance, discourage cash-based transactions and enh­ance documentation of the economy. Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial said enforcement was the only viable option to boost revenue collection, rather than relying on new taxes. One of the key amendments is a tenfold increase in the penalty for failure to submit withholding tax statements — from Rs5,000 to Rs50,000. Authorities believe this will compel withholding agents to comply with deadlines and file statements within the due date.
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Tuesday, June 10 2025

Pakistan becoming regional IT hub
IT & ITeS export receipts rose by $541 million to $2.82 billion, showing a trade surplus of $2.42bn, during July-March, according to Economic Survey 2024-25 released on Monday. The ICT exports included a contribution of $400 million by the freelancers, and the survey highlighted that the tech-savvy and professional youth are set to become a regional hub for digital services, tech entrepreneurship, and high-value software exports. During 9MFY25, significant strides were made in building Pakistan’s IT human capital and industry capacity. A total of 6,400 professionals were trained in advanced technologies, with certification ongoing for 3,400 more. Over 2,700 interns were placed in IT firms, achieving a 70pc retention rate, while soft skills and technical boot-camps trained thousands more.
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