- Microsoft ends operations in Pakistan 25 years after it moved there
- Political and economic instability joins technical barriers as motivations to pull out of Pakistan
- Neighboring India is ready to receive $ 3 billion in Microsoft investments in the next two years
After reducing its number of employees and operations to the mere minimum, Microsoft is now fully withdrawn from Pakistan, 25 years after it opened in the country.
The news was revealed via a LinkedIn post by Jawwad Rehman, the basic head of Microsoft Pakistan, without a formal public announcement from the company itself.
However, the move was all confirmed, with full operations closed down in Pakistan and only one connection office with about five employees left.
Microsoft closes the store in Pakistan after 25 years
Although it is believed that service and customer agreements will remain unaffected through partners and regional offices, Microsoft eventually had to pulse beyond financial instability, political volatility and tech barriers.
“This is more than a business output. It is a sober signal of the environment that our country has created .. one where even global giants like Microsoft find it unsustainable to stay,” Rehman wrote on LinkedIn.
Unstable currency, barriers to the import of tech hardware, frequent political regime changes, unstable governance, Internet closures, content blocks and difficulties in moving funds and cross -border tools are among the long list of factors that have probably affected Microsoft’s decision.
In a separate post, Rehman asked the honorary minister of it and the Pakistan government to “actively engage Microsoft’s regional and global leadership” so that the company can maintain a presence in Pakistan.
Neighboring India has emerged as an important destination for tech investments in South Asia, with Microsoft announcing plans to invest $ 3 billion in the country over a two-year period earlier this year.
“India quickly becomes a leader in AI innovation and unlocks new opportunities across the country,” wrote CEO Satya Nadella.
The news comes only a few months after Microsoft also revealed plans to end his joint venture operations in China.
