Bringing IT home for Urdu

Pakistan’s presence on the internet is expanding at an incredible rate. Yet the number of websites that feature Urdu content is dismally low. A Google search for the phrase “Urdu” reveals over three million hits, but of these probably less than one tenth of a per cent actually feature any content in Urdu. Couple this with the fact that there are merely a handful of programmes written in the Urdu language, of which almost none are designed for software development, and a major problem reveals itself. The vast majority of Pakistanis are excluded from any kind of online or computer-related experience unless they first train themselves in the English language.

In a world that is continually making leaps and bounds in technological progress and innovation, Pakistan finds itself constantly lagging behind. The significant role played by the internet in our lives during this day and age is now undeniable. And yet, a recent e-readiness ranking of 65 nations published by the Economist Intelligence Unit lists Pakistan second last, placing us ahead of only Nigeria. There is a dire need to improve our pathetic situation. And the path we need to adopt is obvious. The government has to provide access to quality education for the masses. And since this year’s budget allocation for education spending follows the same pattern as that of previous years, it is unlikely Pakistan will be a major force in the global IT economy any time soon.

However, while our shortsighted, military-minded leaders continue to bloat our defence budgets to inexcusable excesses, one other measure to improve our current situation does suggest itself. The government of Pakistan has to launch an aggressive campaign to encourage the localisation of computer programmes and Web content so as to allow the widespread proliferation of computer literacy. Adapting the Urdu language for easy use on PCs and the internet will speed us toward this goal.

Despite the many obstacles and disadvantages of possessing a largely uneducated and illiterate population, the potential for developing IT professionals in Pakistan is, oddly enough, tremendous. If the number of people that thronged to the job fair organised by the Pakistan Software Houses Association, or the hordes of software developers that descended upon the Microsoft Pakistan Developer Conference 2005, are any indication of the interest people have in this field, then there is still hope for the country’s IT sector.

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