Challenges for wide-ranging digitalization in Pakistan

The Internet has proliferated unevenly across the world, resulting in a global digital divide. In the past decade, concerns related to technology ‘haves’ and ‘haves not’ have grown in prominence in the countries of South Asia (including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal) that are witnessing an increased digital divide. This study specifically looks at the case of Pakistan, and how the country's digital inequalities are increasing in terms of the public's access and their use of the Internet and information and communication technology (ICT) devices. Drawing on the framework of digital divide, this study aims is to explore the diverse challenges that underpin the digital divide in Pakistan, and the policy-related issues that affect wide-ranging digitalization in the country. Contextual factors, including the urban-rural divide, gender disparities, income and educational inequalities, and religious and cultural barriers altogether underpin Pakistan's existing digital divide. This research further unpacks policy-related challenges including a lack of policy evaluation and refinement, a lack of focused research, and inappropriate allocations of funds at federal, national and sectoral levels that affect wide-ranging digitalization in the country.