The meeting was briefed on a series of measures taken to promote IT across the country.
ISLAMABAD:
Pakistan is expected to achieve IT exports worth $4.5 billion to $4.6 billion in the current fiscal year, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Monday as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a review meeting on the affairs of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications (MoITT).
The Prime Minister reiterated that promotion of the IT sector and growth of IT-related exports remain among the government’s top priorities. “Pakistan’s youth has immense potential in IT, which should be taken full advantage of,” he said.
He also ordered that work to establish Easy Service centers in Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir be expedited, and called for efforts to launch Easy Services facilities in the provinces in collaboration with the provincial governments. He further called for cooperation from provincial and district governments to narrow the IT gap between urban and rural areas.
The meeting was briefed on a series of measures taken to promote IT across the country. The number of national Internet connections increased from 1.9 million in 2024 to 5.10 million in 2026, according to the PMO.
On fifth generation (5G) services, the briefing revealed that an auction was held in the country recently and was the largest in the world in this regard since 2016, generating revenue of $509 million for Pakistan.
Regarding the promotion of artificial intelligence (AI) in Pakistan, it was informed in the meeting that Indus AI Week was organized in February 2025, with events held in 30 cities, more than 100 international delegates participating and 88 pavilions installed.
The meeting was also informed that optical 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 the final stages, with e-learning modules 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 Economy Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister for IT and Telecommunications Shaza Fatima Khawaja and Minister of State for Finance and Railways Bilal Azhar Kayani, among other senior government officials.
The Prime Minister on Monday stressed that export-led industrial growth was key to achieving the country’s economic development goals and reiterated that the government was fully focused on developing exports and providing facilities and support to industries.
The Prime Minister chaired a high-level meeting to review strategies to increase Pakistan’s exports and strengthen the country’s export-oriented industries.
The Prime Minister asked relevant authorities to formulate a comprehensive plan to facilitate small and medium enterprises (SMEs), which play a crucial 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 media wing of the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
