Lawmakers Question 8-Year Delay in Islamabad IT Park, Karachi Project Still Without Start

Lawmakers in the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information Technology expressed strong frustration over prolonged delays in Pakistan’s flagship technology infrastructure projects, as officials briefed the committee on the status of the Islamabad and Karachi IT Parks.

During the meeting, officials from the Ministry of IT informed the committee that construction on the Islamabad IT Park is now in its final stages and is expected to be completed by December 31, 2025. The committee was told that the project, which began in 2017, would finally become operational after eight years.

The committee’s chairman, however, did not hold back in his criticism. He noted that the Islamabad IT Park, launched nearly a decade ago, was completing far beyond the expected timeline.

Work on Islamabad IT Park started in 2017 and is being completed in 2025,  this delay is unacceptable.

-Committee Chairman

When the ministry presented its update on the Karachi IT Park, the chairman outright rejected the briefing, calling it incomplete and unsatisfactory. Addressing the IT Secretary directly, he said, “What is going on? Speed up the work. It is unfortunate that we’ve already wasted an entire year.”

The chairman added that even the country’s infrastructure development showed better efficiency. “Our Interior Minister builds an underpass in three months,” he said, questioning why a major technology project was moving at such a slow pace.

Ministry officials noted that a delegation from EXIM Bank is scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on December 2, a development that could help move the Karachi project forward. The chairman urged the ministry to use the opportunity to push the project, finalize the contract award, and ensure progress without further delays.

He further instructed officials to engage the Korean Embassy, emphasizing that the stalled project required urgent diplomatic and administrative follow-up. “Even after the contract is awarded, the Karachi IT Park will take another two years. We cannot afford more delays,” he warned.

The committee concluded the meeting by calling on the ministry to start work on the Karachi IT Park immediately, noting that the delays are slowing down Pakistan’s broader digital transformation plans.

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