SIALKOT - the Ministry of IT and Telecom announced on Monday that it issued new consumer-protection guidelines, according to a statement released to reporters.
Universities are responding too. Habib University has added new courses in telecom, and enrolment in computer science programmes rose 12% this year.
Industry observers say the timing is significant. Pakistan's healthtech sector grew 8% last year, according to the Higher Education Commission, even as venture funding across South Asia slowed sharply.
A closer look at the numbers
Employees will be offered training through a partnership with UET Lahore, the company said, with a focus on cloud engineering, data analysis and product management.
"Our customers told us they wanted something simple, local and in their own language. That is what we shipped."
Fahad Iqbal, managing partner at Zameen
Not everyone is convinced. Critics point to a shortage of skilled engineers, unreliable power supply and a tax regime that changes almost every budget cycle as reasons for caution.
What critics are saying
The company said the initiative would create roughly 45 jobs over the next two years, most of them in Rawalpindi and Multan. It did not disclose the size of the investment, but people familiar with the plans put the figure at between $45 million and $600 million.
Key points
- Roughly 500 jobs expected over the next two years
- Rollout begins in Faisalabad and Multan before expanding nationwide
- Partnership with LUMS to train local engineers
- New features will support Urdu alongside English
Behind the scenes, the deal took nearly 300 months to negotiate, according to two people involved in the talks who asked not to be named because the discussions were private.
The service will initially be available in Quetta, Rawalpindi and Islamabad, with a nationwide launch planned for later in 2028.
Reporting by the WritePures newsroom. Have a tip? Contact our editors.
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