Preamble Information technology has assumed a central enabling role in the emerging dynamics of a knowledge society and knowledge economy. It is a key lever of economic development. The growth trends of Pakistan’s economy have been corroborated and praised by numerous independent global institutes. Pakistan’s Information Technology (IT) sector is carving a differentiated position as the preferred source for software development, BPO and freelancing. Pakistan was ranked at number four1 for freelance development in the world and IT exports have increased 70%2 during the last three years. Pakistan, which has about 60% of its 200 million population in the 15 to 29 age group, represents an enormous human and knowledge capital. Pakistan has more than 2000 IT companies & call centers and the number is growing every year. Pakistan has more than 300,000 English-speaking IT professionals with expertise in current and emerging IT products and technologies. More than 20,000 IT graduates and engineers are being produced each year. The Government of Pakistan (GOP) continues to facilitate the IT industry through numerous sustainable development and accelerated digitization projects, research and innovation, software technology parks, subsidized bandwidth, international marketing, international certifications, internships and trainings. Incentives to bolster growth include 100% equity ownership, 100% repatriation of capital/dividends, tax exemption on IT & ITeS export revenues, tax exemptions to startups and subsidized state of the art Software Technology Parks. The GOP has a holistic strategy for positioning Pakistan on the global outsourcing map, participation in international forums, organizing domestic conferences, scaling software technology parks and facilitating certification (ISO 27001 and CMMI) programs. Given the augmented IT demand and growth, it has become imperative to reformulate the Digital Pakistan Policy: one that takes into account its increasingly transformed role across all sectors of socio-economic development; their accelerated digitization, and transformational modernization into integrated components of a holistic knowledge based economy. With this in mind, Ministry of IT & Telecom (MoIT) has formulated this policy document based on a multi-stakeholder model. The Digital Pakistan Policy imperatives are also very much intertwined and therefore addressed holistically to transform the IT and other sectors of economy on fast track basis. This policy will also serve as the foundation for the construction of a holistic digital ecosystem with advanced concepts and components for the rapid delivery of next generation digital services, applications and content. It will serve as an aggregator of demand for innovative digital services and as a supplier of data for value added services and applications. It is an opportunity for local entrepreneurs and firms to acquire core competencies, experience, and credibility and become better positioned to compete and prosper on the international stage. 1 Digital Pakistan Policy 2 Odesk.com, State Bank of Pakistan Page 4