Government places digital economy at the heart of growth strategy, aiming to transform Pakistan’s technology sector into a global export powerhouse (Catchline)
By Pervaiz Mughal
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting in Islamabad to review progress on the strategic roadmap for Pakistan’s information technology sector, where he praised the country’s achievement of $4.6 billion in annual IT exports, reflecting a 21 per cent increase.
The prime minister commended the Minister of Information Technology and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja and the entire team, saying the growth in IT exports was the result of government initiatives and policies aimed at developing the digital economy. He said promoting the 0049T sector and increasing technology-related exports remained among the government’s top priorities.
Shehbaz Sharif directed that credible third-party validation of IT training courses should be ensured and called for further improvement of digital infrastructure across the country. He said there would be no compromise on the quality of training being provided in the IT sector.
The Federal Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom briefed the meeting on its performance and progress under various initiatives.
The briefing revealed that mobile spectrum availability had increased from 274 MHz in June 2025 to 880 MHz in June 2026. Officials said the expansion of mobile spectrum would significantly improve internet speed and connectivity.
The prime minister was also briefed on preparations for the implementation of the “Connect Pakistan Vision 2030”. Officials informed the meeting that the Software Technology Park in Bagh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, had been completed.
The briefing stated that the proportion of smartphone users in Pakistan had increased from 62 per cent in 2024 to 72 per cent by June 2026. It added that fixed broadband and fibre connections had been provided to 5.1 million households by June 2026.
Officials said government measures had contributed to the growth of freelancing, with freelancers’ share in IT sector exports reaching $1,164.7 million during the last fiscal year.
Under the Digital Nation Pakistan initiative, 130 government services had been digitised. During the previous fiscal year, 942,646 training certificates were issued in the IT sector, including 5,053 high-end training programmes, while 2,700 leadership and soft skills training sessions were also conducted.
The meeting was informed that the Women Innovation and Startup Empowerment Lab project would be inaugurated soon to encourage greater participation in technology and entrepreneurship.
Officials said artificial intelligence was being introduced in several federal ministries and institutions under a memorandum of understanding with Chinese technology company Alibaba, with multiple projects and training sessions underway.
The briefing revealed that institutions including the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan, Ministry of Railways, State Bank of Pakistan, Federal Board of Revenue, Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority, Ministry of National Food Security, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority, Pakistan Single Window, Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan, Pakistan Post, Federal Development Agency, Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Higher Education Commission were working on various artificial intelligence projects with Alibaba.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Minister for Education and Vocational Training Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmad and senior government officials.
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