The ‘Sharing Knowledge and Information’ seminars held recently in Karachi (2 February 2000) and in Islamabad (10 February 2000) are groundbreaking firsts for Pakistan. By initiating a platform for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) issues to be developed, potentially, to the policy level – whether through the supporting web-based discussion lists www.pgk.sdnpk.org  or possible follow-up forums – the scope for developing knowledge networking expertise has been opened up.

Picking up on major themes, this summary emphasizes:

• capacity and content-building measures and projects being undertaken in Pakistan in knowledge networking;

• initiatives to facilitate a more conducive environment for ICT development in Pakistan.

ACCESS

Key contributions for promoting greater access to knowledge using ICTs included:

• Mechanisms for wider access So far the Internet in Pakistan is mainly confined to big cities, among the educated and relatively affluent sections of the population. To bridge this 'digital divide' new access mechanisms -- like setting up 'Internet Community Centres', wiring schools and using the Cable TV network for Internet delivery -- were proposed. The idea of a                public-private partnership was advanced to carry out these schemes. More concretely, the institution of a special 'Universal Service Fund' to promote Internet in small towns and rural areas, under the Pakistan  Telecommunication Authority, was announced by its Chairman. Great stress was also laid on the need for Pakistan Telecommunication Corporation Limited to bring down the tariffs for Internet bandwidth -- at present one of the highest in the world -- enabling Internet Service Providers to provide affordable access to the general public.

• Converging technologies for emerging markets Pakistan has only 35% literacy and very low Internet access levels. Converging technologies are being actively and innovatively developed in the country -- particularly those merging television and computer-based information delivery systems as a means for delivering voice and text-based information. As importantly, well-founded and viable proposals for an appropriate national regulatory authority advanced. These include a model for a new National Telecommunications Broadcast Regulatory Authority, embracing the technical, policy and economic planning aspects of converging ICTs.

• Internet access for remote communities - working in partnership with the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (Pakistan) (COMSATS), have established low-cost Internet connectivity for Gilgit, in Pakistan's Northern Areas - one of the remotest mountain regions in the world. By boldly investing in developing the hitherto lacking basic telecommunications infrastructure to support this, the project aims to provide an access platform for internet-based business, NGOs, institutions, students and the local population to interact with the global community. Four months after its launch in October 1999, the prospects for future developments -- including a telecentre, further infrastructure development and training programmes -- are promising.

• Managing web driven information - Karachi Institute of Information Technology is working on a range of projects which will help end users, in Pakistan and globally, to retrieve the right information from authentic sources, at the right time from the vast -- and growing -- body available online.

CONTENT

Central to the successful building of strong knowledge networks in Pakistan, content development was strongly reiterated in both seminars. Key contributions included:

• Building a knowledge network in Pakistan: SDNP's Web Portal Gathering available development-related knowledge from global sources and making this comprehensively available in Pakistan is a key requirement. The Sustainable Development Networking Programme in Pakistan's immanent new web portal will not only enable this, but, as importantly, become an active repository for authentic, indigenous information originating from Pakistan. The meta-site is also a key component in SDNP's broader strategy of capacity development, in which selected organisations with relevant data, but without technical expertise, are being approached and trained in web authoring and hosting.

For example, SDNP, in partnership with the British Council Pakistan are hoping to initiate a project which would enable the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan to develop a web-based electoral monitoring database.

• Distance Learning The Aga Khan University, Karachi is a leading global and regional proponent of ICT-based delivery for distance education. Distance Learning will be extensively employed at the Aga Khan University's new Gilgit campus. Again, the Allama Iqbal Open University,  Islamabad with more than a million registered students is seriously contemplating the use of some of these tools for its outreach programme.
• Development of Information Services – PakSearch  is a pioneer in providing on-line information in Pakistan. Their presentation focussed on the development of databases germane to the needs of researchers in the country. Cultural, legal and technical obstacles in setting-up self-sustainable information services were examined, with models for cooperation between the development sector business proposed to remedy the situation.

• Creating Web Content in Urdu and regional languages Developing free, open-sourced Urdu and regional language software will enable a large number of non-English speaking Pakistanis to gain access to computer-based information. It is also key to opening the already-present potential for rich and diverse content development. As well as showcasing projects to develop Urdu and regional software, seminar presentations explored applications in the areas of community school development, classroom-based learning and teacher development, as well as the media. Research projects at the Quaid-i-Azam University Islamabad in the area of web content authoring tools, and the efforts of the National Language Authority in developing an Urdu language standard equivalent to ASCII, aim to facilitate the use of the Urdu language on the web.

• Use of ICTs for empowering people An authentic Pakistani presence on the web will not materialise unless ICTs are used by local communities to articulate ‘development’ within their own terms of cultural reference. For example, through local cultural narrative.