The Chairman of Punjab Information Technology Board has reportedly been removed from his government office.
According to a very recent report from ProPakistani, Dr. Umar Saif, a post-doctorate degree holder from MIT, has been removed from his office by the authorities. Umar Saif assumed his office as the Chairman of Punjab Information Technology Board in November 2011 and, ever since then, he has headed various technology-related projects under the department. According to a report from PakistanToday, Mr. Habibur Rehman has been announced as a replacement of for the vacant position.
Apart from his work as the head of PITB, Umar Saif has also been working as a founding Vice-Chancellor at the Information Technology University and had also founded one of the first startup programs by government, Plan9 and PlanX. He is also acting as Editor at the MIT Technology Review Pakistan edition. As part of his experience at the government department, Umar Saif also headed several technology-related projects too. Quite recently, he was also announced as a chairman of the UNESCO ICT for development.
In a post published on social media, Umar Saif, said,
“All good things must come to an end. It was a privilege to serve this country for 7 years.
I served 5 successive governments and established two institutions: PITB, which became the main reform engine for the government with over 300 projects in Punjab and other provinces, and ITU, which in just 5 years, became one of the premier technology universities of Pakistan with close to 100 PhD faculty members.
Plan9, PlanX and e-rozgaar paved new avenues of entrepreneurship, innovation and employment for the youth of Pakistan.
I am truly proud of all my team members. 1,700 fantastic professionals at PITB; 112 faculty members at ITU.
In the end, I served for as long as I could — beyond provincial boundaries and political divides — and gave it all I had. I am sure those who come in future will take these institutions to new heights. Pakistan zindabad!”
Featured Image Via UrduPoint
