MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): The ‘SCO Vision 2025’ program launched under the Special Communications Organization (SCO) has become a historic milestone in terms of empowering the youth, promoting technology and creating new employment opportunities in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan.
According to the Director General (DG) SCO, “Under SCO Vision 2025, 100 modern IT parks have been established in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, which were completed in a record period of just two years.”
This achievement is not only a testament to the technological prowess of the SCO but is also proving to be a new digital chapter for the youth in the region.
Employment and training opportunities for youth
According to the SCO report, more than 700 people have been directly employed under Vision 2025, while 1,500 freelancers have been trained and facilitated to work in the digital market.
This program is providing opportunities for youth to advance in the field of information technology, which is making significant progress in the promotion of the digital economy in the region.
First Software Technology Park for Women
Pakistan’s first women-only Software Technology Park has been established in Muzaffarabad under SCO Vision 2025. This park has provided a safe, conducive and modern environment for women IT experts and freelancers.
According to DG SCO, the aim of this initiative is to give women an active role in the technology sector and promote gender equality.
Initiatives and economic impact for special persons
SCO has also established independent residential centers for special persons, so that they can achieve social and economic self-reliance.
IT activities under Vision 2025 have so far earned about $20 million in foreign exchange, which is playing a positive role in stabilizing the country’s economy.
Foundation of digital revolution
According to DGSCO, “The main objective of SCO Vision 2025 is to skill the youth, accelerate the development of the region through technology and bring about an IT revolution in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir.”
He said that these IT parks are empowering the youth as well as opening new doors for business, education and connectivity.
According to political and social experts, the SCO’s Vision 2025 is a practical step towards digital development, strengthening human resources and laying the foundation for modern technology in the northern regions of Pakistan, which could completely change the economic landscape of the region in the coming years.
