Sialkot Becomes Home of Asia’s First Smart Village Under the Digital Pakistan Initiative

Sialkot: Pakistan has launched one of a kind Smart Village project in Roras, Sialkot, under the Digital Pakistan vision.  The project aims to empower rural communities with digital resources by connecting them to the Internet and improving education, healthcare, and jobs.

Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication, emphasized that the “Smart Village project”, a key component of the Digital Pakistan vision, seeks to connect rural and remote regions to the internet, thereby improving access to essential services like healthcare and education.

She also pointed out that while Pakistan’s young population is highly talented, their abilities often go unnoticed. The Smart Village project will provide a platform to highlight this talent and address local community challenges, she stated.

During the inauguration of Asia’s first Smart Village project in Roras village, Sialkot, the minister delivered these remarks. A new pilot initiative has been introduced in partnership with the Ministry of Information, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Huawei, Bedari NGO, and Tele-Education. The project can be found in Sambrial tehsil, situated 15 kilometers away from the city of Sialkot.

The minister emphasized that the project is set to be finalized in six months. The Digital Village Centre will train 100 young individuals in business and computer skills in an interesting endeavor. This initiative aims to deliver education while simultaneously generating job opportunities, playing a crucial role in Pakistan’s Smart Village project.

Shaza Fatima Khawaja said, “Pakistan is the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to provide e-village facilities. Our commitment is to connect the people living in villages and remote areas to the digital world.”

She explained that providing digital health and education facilities in Roras is a starting point. “It is a good sign that a modern computer lab and virtual education is going to be provided in the secondary school for girls in Roras village.”

She mentioned that to address the challenges in accessing medical services, digital medical consultancy is being introduced in the area. The project’s success is credited to essential support from ITU, Huawei Pakistan, Tele-Education, Bedari NGO, and the Department of Education. The minister revealed intentions to broaden the scope of comparable Smart Village initiatives throughout every province.

ITU Regional Director Atsuko Okuda remarked, “The Smart Village Pakistan initiative promotes a complete government approach to bring the benefits of digital transformation in sectors such as healthcare, education and agriculture to rural and remote communities.”

Samar Abbas from Huawei Pakistan emphasized the significant prospects that digitalization offers in the country, asserting its importance for maintaining competitiveness on global scale. Plans are underway for comparable initiatives across all four provinces aimed at narrowing the digital gap.

The ceremony featured the opening of a Smart Classroom and Digital Village Center at the Government Girls High School Roras, officiated by ITU Regional Director Atsuko Okuda, Bedari NGO Executive Director Arshad Mehmood Mirza, and Ministry of IT Director Hammad Waseem.