Punjab govt decides to remove Dr Umar Saif as PITB chairman

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led provincial government has decided to remove Dr Umar Saif as chairperson of the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB).

“All good things must come to an end. It was a privilege to serve this country for 7 years, establish PITB, ITU, Plan9 & e-rozgaar,” Dr Saif wrote in posts on Facebook and Twitter on Monday, confirming the news of his departure.

“I served 5 successive governments and established two institutions: PITB, which became the main reform engine for the government with over 300 projects in Punjab and other provinces, and ITU, which in just 5 years, became one of the premier technology universities of Pakistan with close to 100 PhD faculty members,” he wrote.

“In the end, I served for as long as I could — beyond provincial boundaries and political divides — and gave it all I had. I am sure those who come in future will take these institutions to new heights.”

Media reported that the Punjab government has decided to take back the additional charge of PITB chairperson from Saif, but that he would continue his responsibilities as Vice-Chancellor of the Information Technology University (ITU).

A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute Technology (MIT), Saif joined PITB as its head in 2011. During his seven-year tenure, Saif was credited with leading a technological turnaround in Punjab with PITB, which overlooks all public sector IT projects in the province.

Saif was the first Pakistani to be named as one of the top 35 innovators in the world by MIT Technology Review (TR35) in 2011, and a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2010. In 2014, he received the Sitara-e-Imtiaz from the government for his services. Earlier this year, he was appointed as the UNESCO Chair for using Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD).