Mirpur, (AJK), (Parliament Times) ; Director General Special Communications Organization (SCO), Major General Umar Ahmad Shah (Hilal-e-Imtiaz Military), formally inaugurated SCO Freelancing Hubs for students at Raja Najeeb Government Boys Degree College and Government Ghazi Ilahi Bakhsh Girls Degree College in Tehsil Islamgarh.
He was accompanied by Sector Commander Colonel Yousaf Javed and Commanding Officer SCO Division Mirpur Lieutenant Colonel Adeel Malik. Upon arrival at Islamgarh Boys Degree College, he was warmly received by Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Azad Kashmir Colonel (R) Muhammad Maroof, Principal Tariq Mahmood, Assistant Commissioner Islamgarh Chaudhry Naeem Akhtar, and Chairman Municipal Committee Ishaq Mughal.
At Raja Najeeb Government Boys Degree College, the DG SCO inaugurated the Freelancing Hub, received a detailed briefing, and inspected various sections of the facility. Later, he inaugurated another Freelancing Hub established for female students at Ghazi Ilahi Bakhsh Government Girls Degree College, Mirpur.
Speaking to students, Major General Umar Ahmad Shah said that under SCO Vision 2025, more than 100 Software Technology Parks and Freelancing Hubs have been completed across Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, aimed at empowering youth and professionals through digital opportunities.
He highlighted that SCO holds the distinction of establishing the first Women’s Software Technology Park in Muzaffarabad, as well as a Freelancing Hub for differently-abled persons. He added that an IT Lab for juvenile inmates was recently set up in Kotli Jail, the first of its kind in any prison of AJK or GB.
The DG SCO emphasized that SCO is a unique institution that operates not on a commercial basis but with a spirit of public service, providing equal and quality telecommunication facilities to people in both urban and rural areas. He noted that the establishment of Software Technology Parks and Freelancing Hubs will help students and educated unemployed youth acquire valuable IT skills, enabling them to start their own ventures and contribute to the national economy through foreign exchange earnings.
Encouraging the students, he urged them to enhance their IT skills alongside their formal education and to utilize freelancing as a sustainable source of income. Commending the potential of AJK’s youth, he expressed confidence that Azad Kashmir will soon make remarkable progress in the IT sector.
In a gesture of motivation, he announced that any trainee from these IT centers who secures their first freelancing order would receive a personal reward from him. The DG congratulated SCO officers, engineers, and staff for their dedicated efforts and appreciated the performance of those benefiting from these IT initiatives.
He reaffirmed that SCO will continue its legacy of excellence by expanding its public service mission with full dedication and strength in the years ahead.