LAHORE: President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Faheem-ur-Rehman Saigol, has warned that the quality of internet service in Pakistan has declined sharply in recent years, while the world is rapidly advancing in IT and technology.
He expressed these views during a meeting with a delegation of IT professionals at the LCCI. Senior Vice President Tanveer Ahmed Sheikh and Executive Committee Members Firdous Nisar and Syed Salman Ali were also present. The delegation was led by Atif Mahmood Tahir and included Tayyab Manzoor, Atif Javaid, Aizazi Nawaz, Ali Murtaza, Arsalan Gul, Gul Raina, and Zoha Liaqat.
Saigol said that Pakistan is falling behind in the race for innovation, even though freelancing and the digital economy offer major opportunities for the country. He warned that if connectivity does not improve, Pakistan’s IT exports, freelancing income, and startup culture will suffer.
Multinet CEO Atif Mahmood revealed that Pakistan’s tech market has now reached nearly USD 20 billion, and if infrastructure is improved, it has the potential to grow to USD 60 billion. He emphasized that this growth is only possible if Pakistan makes serious efforts to ensure fast, stable, and modern internet services.
Tahir pointed out that in the past five years, no major work has been done on Pakistan’s internet infrastructure. He noted that freelancing, the digital economy, and startup culture are growing fast, but Pakistan’s internet system is unable to meet their needs. Due to the lack of fiber networks and data centers, Pakistan has fallen behind other countries in the region.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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