The meeting was briefed on a number of initiatives that have been taken to promote IT throughout the country
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan is expected to achieve IT exports worth $4.5-4.6 billion in the current financial year, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Monday as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a review meeting on affairs of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications (MoITT).
The prime minister reiterated that the promotion of the IT sector and growth in IT-related exports remain among the government’s top priorities. “There is a huge potential among Pakistan’s youth in terms of IT, which should be fully exploited,” he said.
He also directed that the work of establishing Easy Service Centers in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir should be expedited and called for efforts to launch Easy Services facilities in the provinces in collaboration with provincial governments. He further called for the cooperation of provincial and district governments to reduce the IT gap between urban and rural areas.
The meeting was briefed on a number of initiatives that have been taken to promote IT throughout the country. The number of domestic Internet connections increased from 1.9 million in 2024 to 5.10 million in 2026, according to the PMO.
Regarding Fifth Generation (5G) services, the briefing revealed that an auction was recently held in the country and was the world’s largest in this regard since 2016, generating revenue of $509 million for Pakistan.
On the promotion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Pakistan, the meeting was informed that Indus AI Week was organized in February 2025, with events held in 30 cities, over 100 international delegates participated and 88 pavilions set up.
The meeting was also informed that fiber connectivity has been provided to public schools and health units in the federal capital. The provision of free internet hotspots in Islamabad is also in its final phase, with e-learning pods being installed in Saidpur Model Village and Fatima Jinnah Park.
The review meeting was attended by Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal, Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar, Minister for Finance Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja and Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani along with other senior officials.
The prime minister on Monday stressed that export-led industrial growth was critical to achieving the country’s economic development goals and reiterated that the government was fully focused on increasing exports and providing facilities and support to industries.
The Prime Minister chaired a high-level meeting to review strategies aimed at increasing Pakistan’s exports and strengthening the country’s export-oriented industries.
The Prime Minister directed the relevant authorities to formulate a comprehensive plan to facilitate small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which played a vital role in boosting exports.
He also asked to develop strategies to promote new businesses and industries that could help increase the country’s export volume, the PM Office Media Wing said in a statement.
