Pakistan has become an extensive IT dependent country:Farhan Mazhar

Lahore: Pakistan has become an extensive IT dependent country. Our cities have turned into metropolitan networks of IT implementation. However, there are still many areas in Pakistan where  IT is a distant blessing which need to catch up with the rest of the country.

IT for the Common Man, an event of PR and Event Management students of CBM, IoBM, was an insight into the lives of common people affected positively by the use of Information Technology in Pakistan. This idea was conceived by faculty, Parvez Jamil and guest list represented the common man.

This event aimed at insight into the lives of common people interacting with IT and how IT has molded lives. The guest panel included a housewife, cook, student, office boys, drivers, easy paisa operator, a csr person at Darak.pk and a massager (champi wala). They opined on how IT has affected lives in terms of jobs, running businesses or interacting with families living abroad.

IT faculty at IoBM, Farhan Mazhar was invited to share his opinion and use his expertise to judge opinions of other participants.  Mr. Farhan had his students with him who actively participated sharing  experiences about how IT influences the common man.

The essence of the event was how guests, who were common people, interact with IT in a way that changes their lives, how these people have become dependent upon IT and how most of them without any formal education know how to use IT.  Pakistan has become an extensive IT dependent country. The cities have turned into vast metropolitan networks of complex IT implementation from a student to a CEO of a mega corporation.

However, there are still areas in Pakistan far from the basic necessities of life and that IT is a distant blessing for them, so should IT be implemented in such areas affecting the lives of people living there? Would IT help such people come a little above the poverty line by improving their standard of living through better education and business opportunities? Implementing IT in such areas could mean better connectivity which could lead to improved standard of living.

Guests made valid and useful contributions which served the purpose of the event.

Mr. Rasheed, the cook shared his experience about how IT helps him connect to his family in Thar. He also stated how he managed inventory and supplies.

Mr Rasheed further stated how he is skilled enough to forward an email in case its required and how in case of a national holiday he himself can manage inventory.

The next guest was Mrs. Zareen Khan, a house wife and a retired MBBS doctor. Her daughter lives in Sharjah and despite being physically distant apart she is thankful to have the blessing of IT which helps her connect to her daughter and talk to her on regular basis without feeling deprived of family. She also made the contributions of how SMS is a cheap alternative to a lot of transactions and interactions and that when your landline phone is dead; it is SMS that helps you call the repairman.

Next up was Sir Farhan Mazhar who shared his experience of how he lived in Canada for eight years and yet every Friday he would talk to his mother it helped him realize as if he was home. Mr Usama Iqbal who is responsible for CSR at Darak.pk shared his opinion over this next. According to him his bread and butter is IT as he is interacting with customers daily though internet and answering their queries, clearing their misconnections and generally satisfying them to interact more with Daraz.pk

Mr. Bilal, who with other guests, Mr. Sohail and Mr. Haris, is an office boy at Sparks. He stated he was uneducated and unaware of IT, started learning IT and now uses internet without any difficulties. Mr. Sohail and Mr. Haris shared their opinions upon IT and how they can easily deal with customers out of the country through their Facebook accounts and emails.

Owais Hanif owns a mobile shop at Bahudurabad and provides easypaisa facilities too.. He shared how vital it is for people like labors and drivers to send money to their parents and to support their families and how such connectivity facilitates lives of people of paying utility bills through this service.

A matric student from Meritorious School was also present as a guest and he shared his opinion upon how his field which is computer science is entirely dependent upon IT and that how he used the internet for three purposes, for education, for getting information and for entertainment. He has made friends across the globe through internet with whom he shares valuable insights of computer sciences. He also has a growing interest in photography and knows programming as well.

Finally, a Massager (Champi Wala), through a cellphone plugged in the computer speakers, said how he uses Facebook to interact and make new customers as well as serve the existing ones and that IT has made his channels of customers better and that saved him a lot of hassle.

Parvez Jamil, while thanking guests, especially fellow faculty Farhan Mazhar and his students, for their thought provoking participation, commended the role of his class for organizing an interesting and informative session taking IT from the advanced academic and corporate levels to man in the street! Later the guests were presented with souvenirs and entertained to a gracious little hi-tea.