ISLAMABAD - the Special Technology Zones Authority announced on Thursday that it issued new consumer-protection guidelines, according to a statement released to reporters.
Several competitors have made similar bets. PTCL expanded into Gujranwala earlier this year, while TikTok has been quietly hiring engineers in Lahore and Islamabad.
Investors remain cautiously optimistic. Total venture funding into Pakistani startups reached $12 million in Q2 2026, the strongest quarter since 2021.
The view from investors
Still, questions remain about long-term sustainability. Margins in the logistics business are thin, and customer acquisition costs have risen sharply since 2019.
"The talent is here. What has been missing is patient capital and predictable policy."
Sana Malik, co-founder at Dastgyr
Analysts at NetSol Technologies estimate that the addressable market could be worth $200 million by 2028, driven by a young population and rising smartphone ownership.
A closer look at the numbers
The company said the initiative would create roughly 18 jobs over the next two years, most of them in Multan and Lahore. It did not disclose the size of the investment, but people familiar with the plans put the figure at between $18 million and $350 million.
Key points
- New features will support Urdu alongside English
- Rollout begins in Faisalabad and Sialkot before expanding nationwide
- Competitors including Systems Limited are expected to respond within months
- Regulatory approval from NADRA still pending
The challenge now is execution. Previous attempts to build large-scale technology infrastructure in the country have stalled because of financing gaps and bureaucratic delays.
Security experts have urged users to enable two-factor authentication and to update their apps promptly, noting that attackers increasingly target mobile-first markets.
Reporting by the WritePures newsroom. Have a tip? Contact our editors.
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