The 7th cycle of the KP Government Innovation Fellowship Program kicked off on October 20th, 2021. A cohort of 20 Fellows has been selected for this year’s Fellowship Program, where these Fellows bring in a diverse set of skills and experience. For this year’s cohort, Fellows will collaborate with seven government departments of KP to work on different projects focused on increasing civic engagement, bringing automation and digitization, and making government processes more open and transparent. The projects finalized for the 7th cycle include: The projects finalized for the 7th cycle include:
1. Developing a Case Management System for Advocate General Office KP
A case management system is needed for the Advocate General Office KP to streamline case management of the department and improve department workflows for better service delivery.
2. Developing a Mercy Petition System for Inspector General Prisons KP
The department needs a mercy petition system for IG Prisons KP, under the direction of the Interior Ministry. The automated system will help the department review mercy petitions of prisoners all across KP and expedite the process of communication between the Ministry of Human Rights and the Interior Ministry thereby shortening the time for the provision of relief especially for prisoners on capital punishment.
3. Developing a License and Product Registration System, and customer feedback app for Halal Food Authority KP
The department needs to develop a License and Product Registration System for food-related items and products. The system will help the department streamline the process of acquiring food licenses that are required to sell food-related items and branded food products in KP.
The department also wants to launch a mobile app for citizen feedback on the quality of food in restaurants and shops to ensure that the food served and sold is hygienic and fresh and will serve as the medium through which citizens can report food businesses for unhygienic practices. The app’s name will be Staso Rayee (which means “Your Opinion” in Pashto). The app will be used for food outlets rating by the public, feedback on SOPs, policies, and quality of food items.
4. Developing a Management Information System of all existing sports facilities in KP for the Directorate of Sports KP
A Management Information System will be developed for all existing sports facilities in KP. The system will also include ticketing systems and membership systems to facilitate the citizens of KP with seamless access to sporting facilities and discourage unauthorized entry to these facilities.
5. Developing a generic Monitoring and Evaluation System in partnership with KP IT Board
After multiple requests from government departments to develop M&E systems to streamline workflows and create more oversight, our team will develop a generic monitoring and evaluation system with KPITB as the implementation partner. The system will be deployed in the M&E unit of KPITB and will be extended to other departments as a turn-key solution. The system will be developed as such that there are provisions to deploy it to other departments with minor modifications and adding new features in a short duration.
6. Developing internal monitoring and complaint redressal system for Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission
An internal monitoring system and a complaint redressal will be developed for the Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission. The system will help the department review complaints against police and law enforcement personnel
7. Providing support to the Directorate of Livestock and Dairy Research on the Lab Information Management System
The support team will be working on system upgrades and adding new modules and reports to the existing Lab Information Management System developed for the department during the 6th cycle. The program is expected to begin in October 2021.
Profiles of the Fellows:
Aamir Khan
Project Team: Developing a License Registration System and Citizen Feedback App for Halal Food Authority
Amir Khan belongs to Waziristan. Because of a scarcity of educational resources in his hometown, he decided to pursue higher education in Peshawar. Even though it was challenging for him to obtain higher education, his strong resolve and hard work resulted in him receiving an HEC need-based scholarship for admission. He decided to pursue a degree in computer science, as not many people in his community pursued this career. His aim was to become a computer science professional and become an advocate for it promoting students in his hometown of Waziristan to pursue this career path as he strongly felt his community has been left out from this amazing field. Aamir is of the view that the most effective method of bringing about peace and change is to educate people, and believes that his education in computer sciences will contribute to this effort. He aspires to continue his education and step into the social sector allowing him to contribute to the advancement of prosperity of his community and others around him.
Aside from academic interests, he was involved in a variety of social and cultural activities with the purpose of personal growth and service to humanity. He is also currently a member of a couple of charitable organisations, including IM|Volunteer and Ex-Fata Welfare Organization.
He received his Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) degree from the Institute of Management Sciences (IM|Sciences) in 2016. After graduation he worked as a web developer for a software company in Deans. In addition to that he was chosen for a paid internship with the KPIT Board. He found out about the Fellowship Program through a friend and decided to apply for the program. He was selected in the Fellowship program as a front end developer and is working with the Halal Food Authority. Aamir enjoys traveling, volunteering, community service and doing charitable work.
Asma Ahmed
Project Teams: Working with the Halal Food Authority and KPITB Project Teams
Asma Ahmad belongs to Peshawar. In 2018, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in fashion design from Iqra University. As soon as she finished her bachelor's degree, she began working as a fashion designer at Shakirs in Rawalpindi. In an effort to gain additional skills and experience, she relocated to Karachi and began working with Rizwan Beyg, where she learned about digital printing.
Asma also worked for a Lahore-based NGO, dedicated to the welfare of transgender people. Furthermore, she collaborated with the Directorate General of Science and Technology on a project titled Establishment of creative inventive units, which was funded by the National Science Foundation. She was interested in learning more about user experience (UX), which led her to apply to the 7th cycle of the KP Fellowship Program. She was selected for the Fellowship Program as a UX/UI designer and is currently working with two departments, the KPITB and Halal Food Authority. Asma believes that civic innovation is a type of digital engagement between individuals and government that is facilitated by technology. Government develops software, which is extremely significant for residents since it allows them to communicate with the government more readily. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, scribbling on walls, watering plants,cooking, and painting, among other activities. She is passionate about doing something meaningful in her professional career.
Aqib Iqbal
Project Team: Developing a Generic M & E system in partnership with KPITB
Aqib Iqbal is a resident of Peshawar. In 2018, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering from Sarhad University of Science and Technology. After that, he spent nearly a year working as a .NET developer for Total Ebiz Solutions and as a lead developer for SOL Software Services, respectively. He found out about the KP Fellowship program through the Durshal’s Facebook page, and decided to apply for the program. He was selected for the program as a Fullstack Developer and is working on developing a Generic Monitoring and Evaluation System with KPITB. He believes that civic technology improves the relationship between the citizens and the government as it instills greater confidence in the public when accessing public services. In his spare time, he enjoys photography as well as working out at a local gym. He wishes to pursue a career as a full stack developer.
Hafeez Sajad
Software Quality Assurance Expert Supporting all Project Teams
Hafeez Sajad is from Nowshera and graduated with a bachelor's degree in software engineering from Comsats University Abbottabad in 2020. Following that, he completed multiple internships at Codematic software house and Visualsoft software house before getting hired as a quality assurance engineer through the KP IT board's digital internship program. He came to know about the Fellowship Program through the Durshal’s website and Facebook page. He was accepted into the program as a Quality Assurance Engineer and is supporting all project teams within the Fellowship. Hafeez believes that civic technology strengthens the interaction between citizens and government by making it easier for citizens to contact with government officials, hence increasing citizens' faith in the state. He enjoys playing a variety of games in his spare time. He aspires to be a professional in the information technology field in the future.
Muhammad Hamid
Project team: Developing an Online Mercy Petition System for IG Prisons KP
Muhammad Hamid belongs to Hangu but has lived in Peshawar since birth. He earned a bachelor's degree in information technology from the Agriculture University Peshawar in 2020. Following that, he began his career with Travsol Technologies, where he gained skills on PHP and Laravel, later on he also worked for a year with Bridgesoft Technologies, following that he also worked for 6 months with Bazcher & Co LLP as an Odoo Developer. When he saw the KP Fellowship program’s advert on Facebook, he decided to apply for the 7th cycle. He was selected into the Program as a Fullstack Developer and is developing a Mercy Petition System for Inspector General Prisons KP.
Muhammad Hamid is of the view that civic technologies improves the link between government and the general public. He enjoys watching movies, reading books, singing, and using social media in his spare time. He also enjoys using Wikipedia and reading blogs. He aspires to work in the field of product management in the future.
Najeeb Ullah
Project team: Developing a Generic M & E System in partnership with KPITB
Najeeb Ullah hails from North Waziristan. He earned a Master of Science in Computer Science from the University of Science and Technology, Bannu. After graduation, he joined Navisoft Software House in Islamabad as a Full-stack Web Developer. Later at the same firm, he worked as a.Net Framework Developer for almost a year. Meanwhile, he has worked as a freelance Web Developer for various long-term local clientele.
Najeeb Ullah came to know about the Fellowship Program from a friend who is part of Durshal’s startup ecosystem. He was accepted into the 7th cycle of the KP Civic Innovation Fellowship Program as a Full-stack Developer. He is currently part of the team working on the Monitoring and Evaluation System for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board.
According to Najeeb Ullah, civic technology provides the foundation for boosting government transparency by enabling access to information and increasing citizens' trust in the state.
In his spare time, he enjoys reading and listening to pashto poetry. He also likes sufiana kalam. To relieve his stress, he is also penning pashto poems. He aspires to start his own startup and in the renewable energy sector in an effort to provide affordable access to energy in his hometown of North Waziristan.
Tanveer Ali Shah
Project Team: Developing a Members Registration System for Directorate of Sports KP
Tanveer Ali Shah belongs to Pabbi Nowshera. He earned a bachelor's degree in software engineering (BSSE) from Abasyn University Peshawar in 2020. Following that, he spent a year as a web developer under the national internship program.
He learned about the KP fellowship program through a post on Facebook and decided to apply. He was selected for the program as a Backend Developer and is working on developing a Member’s Registration System for the Sports Directorate.
He believes that civic technology can establish a link between citizens and government that is facilitated via the use of software. Additionally, it encourages the government to be more forthcoming with information regarding its operations to the authorities. He spends his free time playing cricket. His ambition is to learn to code and become a full stack developer in PHP Laravel.
Sufyan Rasheed Khan
Project Team: Developing an Online Complaint Redressal System for Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission
Sufyan Rasheed is from Mardan, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering from Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, in 2018. He began his professional career as an Android Developer at Abbso Apps Solutions in Islamabad, where he had a tremendous learning experience
He learned about the KP Government Innovation Fellowship programme through a Facebook post, which he found interesting. Impressed by the civic projects and innovative solutions, he decided to apply for the Fellowship program. As part of the 7th cycle of the KP Government Innovation Fellowship Program, he was selected as an Android Development Fellow.
He is currently working on the project of Online Complaint Redressal System for the Public Safety and Police Complaint Commission.
According to him, civic technology is extremely important in fostering communication between government departments and the general public at large. It offers the government an opportunity to explore ways in which it may better serve the public.
His career goal is to continue growing in the field of Android Development and honing his talents. He enjoys listening to music and playing and watching sports in his spare time.
Syeda Quratulain
Content Writer
Quratulain is a Peshawar native who graduated with a Master's degree in media and mass communication from Peshawar University in 2018. Aside from becoming a radio presenter at campus radio station FM107.4, she also completed an internship at the university TV lab, where she learnt how to edit videos and produce her own video content. After that, she was hired by MAATI.TV, a Lahore-based production company, where she worked as a correspondent and played an important part in the creation of videos and editing. During her studies, she also participated in a two-month online exchange program with Melbourne University Australia on reporting from a crisis zone.
She also works as a radio presenter for pakhtunkhwa radio fm 92.2 in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. She also worked as a freelance reporter for the Frontier Star newspaper. She applied for the KP Fellowship program with the ambition to get knowledge of new technologies. She was accepted into the program as a Content Writer, and is helping all project teams with their user research tasks. Quratulain believes that civic technology is becoming increasingly significant in today's society, as it allows citizens to interact with their government and take advantage of new technologies that allow them to communicate directly with those in positions of authority in the government. Her hobbies include calligraphy, painting, and candle making, which she enjoys doing in her spare time. She aspires to be a successful businesswoman.
Noreena Khan
Project Team: Developing an Online Complaints Redressal System for Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission
Noreena Khan belongs to Peshawar. She received a Gold Medal upon graduation from Islamia University, Peshawar, in the subject of Computer Science in 2016.
Following graduation, Noreena began her work as an intern at Impact-Softwares Solutions, where she was able to hone her web development abilities and interests. Later that year, she was promoted to a full-time position as a Full-stack Developer within the same firm.
Apart from her full-time commitment, Noreena also provided web development services to a variety of clients, including doctors, tax consultancies, non-governmental organizations, and e-commerce companies.
Noreena has a passion for learning and wants to explore different learning and networking opportunities. Her aptitude for exploring digital platforms and digital mediums further aided her in securing a position as a Fellow in the KP Government Innovation Fellowship Program's seventh cycle. Currently, she is part of the team working on developing an Online Complaint Redressal System for the Public Safety and Police Complaint Commission and providing her services as a Full Stack Developer. Noreena strongly believes that Civic innovation has the potential to bridge the gap between the government and citizens and citizens have a vital role in communicating to the government through these technologies.
Noreena aspires to become a businesswoman in the future. In her leisure time, she likes to watch movies and spend time shopping.
Asma Baig
Project Teams: Working with the Advocate General Office KP and the Directorate of Sports Teams
Asma Baig is from the city of Peshawar. In 2019, she graduated with an MSc in Computer Science from Islamia College Peshawar. Currently she is also pursuing a Bachelor of Education degree from Allama Iqbal Open University.
Previously she completed a six-month internship with KPITB. Furthermore, she completed three months of online training in the National Training Freelance Program as well as three months of training with the Dotcom three-month program. She also works as a graphic designer on Fiverr.com.
She learned about the KP fellowship program through Facebook, and applied for the program in an effort to improve her skills. She was selected into the Program as UX/UI Designer and is currently working on two projects including the Case Management System for the Advocate General office and the Members Registration system for the Directorate of Sports, her role in these projects is user interface and user experience designer. Asma believes that civic tech is very useful as it allows individuals to engage with the government through software that is designed for them. It also helps in improving citizen trust in the government. During her spare time, she enjoys using social media and working on hobby projects. She aims to pursue a career as a freelancer.
Syeda Marvi
Project Teams: Working with the IG Prisons Department and Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission Teams
Syeda Marvi is a resident of Charsadda. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering from Abasyn University in 2019. After completing her bachelor's degree, she began her professional career as an intern at the KPITB’s IT Park, where she learned new skills as a graphic designer while also gaining professional experience. Later on, she was hired by the 899 Design software company. During her time as a UI designer at this company, she got a great deal of experience and learned new skills. She was motivated to apply for the 7th cycle of the KP Fellowship because she hoped to gain additional skills and experience. She was accepted into the program as a UX/UI Designer. Currently, she is working on two projects, developing the Mercy Petition System for the Inspector General Prisons, and an Online Complaint Redressal System for Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission. Her role in both projects is user experience and user interface designer. Marvi believes that civic technology platforms simplify access to information thereby boosting citizen confidence in the state, and helps in making the government more transparent and accessible to the public. In her spare time, she enjoys glass painting. Furthermore, she aspires to become a professional user interface and user experience designer.
Zabih Ullah
Project Team: Developing a License Registration System and Citizen Feedback App for Halal Food Authority
Zabihullah is a native of the city of Peshawar. In 2018, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science. Following that, he worked as a web developer for nearly three years in three different companies, including FamzSolutions, Galaxmo IT Solutions, and Stepnex IT company. He learned about the KP Fellowship program over Facebook and decided to apply for the program. He was accepted into the program as a Fullstack Developer and is working on developing a License Registration System and Citizens Feedback app for the Halal Food Authority. He believes that civic technology improves relationships between the people and the government, as well as delivering services to citizens. He gets up early in the morning and recites the Holy Quran. He also enjoys reading books and going for a stroll in his spare time.
Wajid Shoukat
Project team: Developing a License Registration System and Citizen Feedback App for the Halal Food Authority
Wajid Shaukat belongs toTakht-i-Bahi, Mardan. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering from CECOS University Peshawar in 2019.
After graduation he worked as an Android Developer at JSOL technologies in Islamabad where he worked for a year. He learned about the KP Fellowship Program through social media and decided to apply for the program. He was selected into the Program as an Android Developer and is working with the Halal Food Authority developing an Online License Registration System and Citizens Feedback App. He believes that civic technology, in the form of various communication technologies, improves the relationship between the people and the government.In his spare time, he enjoys playing cricket, gardening, and travelling across the world. He aspires to pursue an entrepreneurial career in the future.
Saddam Hussain
Project Team: Developing an Online Complaints Redressal System for Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission
Sadam Hussain belongs to Shabqadar, Charsadda. He graduated with a master's degree in computer science from Islamia College Peshawar in 2018. Following that, he worked for over 2.5 years in a software house based in Islamabad. He learned about the KP fellowship programme on the KPITB web portal and decided to apply for the program. He was selected into the program as a Fullstack developer and is working on developing an Online Complaint Redressal System for Public Safety and Police Complaints Commission. Saddam believes that civic technology has the potential to build a bridge between citizens and the government by simplifying communication and access and that civic technology increases transparency by providing access to information, which can boost citizen trust on the state. In his spare time, he enjoys watching movies. He aspires to be a project manager in the future.
Salman Zafar
Project Team: Providing Support to the Livestock and Dairy Research Department on the Lab Information Management System
Salman Zafar is originally from Mohmand agency, and is currently living in Peshawar. He received his BSSE from Sarhad University and then went on to earn his software engineering degree from the same institution in 2019. Salman started his professional journey during his studies, where he used to work as a freelance developer. Learning about the KP Fellowship Program on social media, Salman decided to apply for the program with the aim of enhancing his learning. He was selected as a Fullstack developer and was assigned to work on the Lab Information Management system supporting the Livestock & Dairy Research Department. Salman is of the view that civic technology helps improve the relationship between the people and the government. In his free time Salman enjoys reading books and experimenting with new ideas in his field of expertise. Salman aspires to build a search engine similar to Google for Pakistan. Salman hopes to advance his career as a product manager in the future.
Iqtidar Hadi
Project Team: Developing an Online Mercy Petition System for IG Prisons KP
Iqtidar Hadi is a resident of Pabbi in Nowshera. In 2019, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in computer science from Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan. Following graduation, Iqtidar accepted a position as a Software Developer with Bitdefender Coding Solution in Karachi.
He came to know about the Fellowship Program through a Facebook post, and applied for the program with the ambition of broadening his horizon. He was accepted into the program as a Fullstack developer and was assigned to work on the Online Mercy Petition System for the Inspector General Prisons KP.
Iqtidar is an advocate for civic technology and believes that civic technology facilitates collaboration between the government and its citizens by automating systems and ensuring transparency within government operations.
He enjoys travelling and making time to go hunting whenever the opportunity presents itself. His ambition is to become a successful technical project manager in the future.
Rehan
Project Team: Developing a Case Management System for Advocate General Office KP
Rehan is from Peshawar, he graduated with honours from Peshawar University in 2015 with a master's degree in computer science. After that, he worked as a web designer at the CZYSZ software house in Islamabad, where he gained knowledge of web development and began developing his own websites. He learned about the KP fellowship from one of his friends and decided to apply for the program. Rehan was selected as a Fullstack developer and he is part of the team working on developing a case management system for the Advocate General's Office. Rehan is inspired by the civic tech movement globally, and aims to become a contributor to inspiring civic tech projects. In his spare time, he enjoys travelling, eating out, and coding, among other things. In the future, he hopes to establish his own software company.
Imtinan Khurshid
Project Team: Developing a Members Registration System for Directorate of Sports KP
Imtinan Khurshid is from Swat and graduated from the University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar in 2020 with a bachelor's degree in Computer Systems Engineering. He is currently studying in a master's programme in Computer Systems Engineering at the same university.
He jumped on the professional bandwagon as a founder of a technology startup and afterwards started his freelance career as a MERN stack developer. Imtinan learned about the KP Fellowship program via a Facebook post and became inspired from the Fellowship’s concept of citizen facilitation through technology and decided to apply for the program. He was selected into the program as a front end developer and is currently working on a project for the Sports Directorate developing an online Member Registration System. Imtinan believes civic technology enables the government to offer services to citizens in a seamless manner.
In his spare time Imtinan enjoys playing cricket. He aspires to work as a technology consultant in the near future.
Rukhsar Ali
Project Team: Developing a Case Management System for Advocate General Office KP
Rukhsar Ali is a resident of Mardan. In his graduate studies at the University of Engineering and Technology, Peshawar, he chose Computer Software Engineering as his major.
He began his professional career as a full-stack developer at Regex Byte IT Solutions & Consultancy, where he remained for more than a year. He found out about the Fellowship Program through a Facebook post, and decided to apply for the program. He was accepted into the program on the post of full-stack developer and was assigned to the team working on developing a case management system for the Advocate General Office
Rukhsar believes that civic tech opens up communication channels between the government and citizens and technology plays a role in facilitating this communication. Through technology citizens get direct access to government services and they can easily voice their concerns if there is a delay in service delivery. Rukhsar aspiress to transition to a project management role as he moves along his career path.
