Tania Idrus: Pakistan will not be able to withstand another major lockdown

Tania Idrus: Pakistan will not be able to withstand another major lockdown

Tania Idrus, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Digital Pakistan, says that in her opinion, Pakistan may not be able to withstand another major lockdown, "so we have to use smart lockdown."

In an exclusive interview with BBC Urdu on the role of Digital Pakistan in fighting the corona virus, he said that it was clear that the situation is as it is now if you have authentic and 'real time' data. If not, your response may not be effective in limiting this outbreak.

So it was clear that we had to base our strategy on data. The first thing we started with was how to collect data from different provinces.

Tania Idros said that in the beginning everyone was working on their own, so the first problem was how to combine the data of different systems in one place.

"We are no longer asking (the provinces) to train your people on our system. Now we have created a system where even if the provinces collect information from their system, they have remained in one place. In addition, we are adding new features, such as the ability to talk to a doctor on the WhatsApp soon.

Asked if Digital Pakistan has introduced any new technology to deal with Corona, Tania Idros said it is not important to bring technology just for the sake of technology.

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"Our data systems are broken in every sector in this country. Understanding the importance of data and how it can help you make decisions is central to everything you do. This is not the time to introduce new apps etc. You have to see what our goal is right now. Our goal at the moment is to collect data effectively, and make decisions on it effectively.

'Data will tell us where the epidemic will spread'

Referring to the importance of data in decision making, he said, "Once upon a time we had a big lockdown. Can we have a bigger lockdown again? We don't think so. So it comes down to how we use the data to predict where the epidemic could spread, where it is spreading more.

"Using this information, smart lockdown can be done so that we can lock down a small space to limit the disease," he said. "The question is, what problem are you trying to solve?"

Image copyrightJTN IMAGES

Image captionLockdown continues in all provinces of the country, including the federal capital Islamabad, which has led to a decline in economic activity.

Asked what is being recorded in the data, Tania Idros said the most important is central information. "Who is being tested when, what is the patient's phone number, what is the ID card number, age, gender, morbidity (ie other health issues)."

But she says it was not collected from the beginning. "As we begin to understand its importance, they are accumulating. But if you think you're on the front line, you can't ask a lab technician to fill out a 50-yard form.

Regarding the role of technology in data collection, Tania Idros pointed out three key elements.

The first is that with the help of modern technology, data can be viewed in real time and policy makers can make their decisions from the same platform from time to time.

The second important factor is data security and privacy. "In the beginning, people's lab sheets were circulating on the WhatsApp. It contains people's private information and they are protected by technology.

The third major benefit is a large-scale review. "If you want a national review, you have to put things together," said Tania Idros. The epidemic sees no provincial borders. That's why, in Tania Idrus' opinion, a national review is needed to counter this.

But how secure is this data?

"As far as privacy is concerned, personally identifiable information is visible in very limited places. I can give you my example that I sit in the National Command and Operations Center and I have never seen this information.

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Image captionTania Idros says the government wants to introduce a feature that allows doctors to get guidance on the WhatsApp

Who can see this information of citizens?

To this question, Tania Idros said that the authorities can see this data. "There are law enforcement agencies, there are intelligence agencies, they have this authority. But then I will talk about the intention, what is our purpose? At the moment, maybe a little bit of confidence is needed.

"Our goal is not to see who you have called," says Tania. "Our goal is to extract your personal information and see which numbers and who were connected."

So should Pakistani citizens now assume that the government is tracking their location? Has our government created a system where mid-level officers in various institutions of the country now have the facility to track the location of any citizen?

"Absolutely not," said Tania Idrus. no way! The more carefully this is done, the less people can have access to it, I can personally tell you that this is being done with the same care.

Asked who decides who will have access to this information, Tania Idros said she did not know who decides to grant access.

Image copyrightJTN IMAGES

Image captionAccording to Tania Idros, this is a rare opportunity for Pakistan to move its economy from cash to digitization.

What will be the role of Digital Pakistan after the Corona crisis?

Tania Idros also sees the crisis as an important opportunity. He said that this crisis has given Pakistan an opportunity to move towards rapid digitization.

"We may not have a better opportunity to move our economy from cash to digital. There is no reason why we cannot provide the world's most up-to-date curriculum in the field of education to Pakistani students. Teleschools are on TV right now, they will be brought to the internet soon. It's not difficult to do these things.

Are there facilities in the country to do this?

"One of our challenges is that 40 per cent of the population in our country has access to the internet. So this is an opportunity for us to use our time to increase internet access in our country.

Tania says there is an effort to make phones cheaper and the internet cheaper. "If we impose taxes on them, then forget about Digital Pakistan. We've reduced taxes on phones that cost less than ڈالر 100. Similarly, we are introducing Digital Pakistan Foundation.

He said that it would be an NGO through which people who do not want to do government jobs would be able to use their best skills for the benefit of Pakistan through this platform.

According to Tania, this is an opportunity for people to change their minds about jobs. The gig economy is still in its infancy in Pakistan. Jobs are defined differently when you enter the digital age. "People in the countryside are using their skills to sell their skills around the world."