In this digital era, every country needs to focus on technological upgradation and develop an infrastructure that meets the demands of fast paced technological advances.

For a country like Pakistan, its Rural- Urban divide and economic disparity in terms of digital access is a cruel fact which cannot be ignored. Around 65% of people in Pakistan live in rural areas, from Sindh to Balochistan and from Gilgit-Baltistan to the newly merged districts installation of fibre optic lines, Wi-Fi towers and basic internet access is still a luxury to many.  Especially after the spread of Covid-19 and the new normal of online classes, youth of rural areas were hit very hard with the reality of the digital divide.

In 2014, 4G internet was launched in Pakistan and till August 2020, percentage of internet users was 40.95% which means out of 220,892,340 only 87 million citizens have access to internet. 60% of the citizens have low to no internet and these citizens mainly reside in rural areas. Those who have the facility, face an issue of affordability as the packages that private companies offer are unaffordable for youth.

As members of the Youth Advisory Board (YAB), we are initiating a petition that will be presented in a high-level consultation on the Digital Policy of Pakistan in Islamabad on July 28-29, 2021. The consultation is being held by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MOITT), Government of Pakistan in collaboration with Bargad and OXFAM in Pakistan.

We demand government’s action to take effective measures to increase digital access in rural areas for rural youth. Our demand includes:

1)      Affordable access to internet for youth

2)      Increased access to the internet in rural areas to bridge the digital divide

3)      Infrastructure in rural areas to support entrepreneurship and freelancing for youth to become financially independent in line with the Digital Policy of Pakistan