Lead digital transformation instead of creating “Ban-Astan”. Tech giants make it clear to the government

Tabadlab’s policy roundtable named “Connecting People: COVID-19 lessons for digital policy” was organized in Islamabad on Monday. The conference saw the participation of key digital leaders, including Aamir Ibrahim (CEO, Jazz), Jehan Ara (CEO, The Nest I/O), and Irfan Wahab (CEO, Telenor), as some of the most notable ones.

Some of the key concerns raised by the discussion participants included the imposition of taxes on the telecom sector by the government while thinking of them as cash cows. Jazz CEO Aamir Ibrahim said, “As long as we continue to think that telecom companies are rich and we should milk them for taxes, we’re never going to think about the future. This is the inherent disconnect between the three key stakeholders: the investors or operators, the governments, and the end-users, who want the best service for free”.

According to TABADLAB’s press release, participants stressed a greater focus on the country’s digital transformation on the government’s part, the need for a policy shift, and measures to help people access digital services safely and smoothly.

“We are not moving forward rather lagging on digital transformation agenda as the country might be known as “Ban-Astan,” but we need to open up to reap the real benefits,” the conference speakers added.

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