ISLAMABAD - the Ministry of IT and Telecom announced on Tuesday that it opened applications for a national innovation fund, according to a statement released to reporters.
Several competitors have made similar bets. Techlogix expanded into Karachi earlier this year, while Huawei has been quietly hiring engineers in Lahore and Islamabad.
Employees will be offered training through a partnership with NED University, the company said, with a focus on cloud engineering, data analysis and product management.
The road ahead
The company said the initiative would create roughly 20 jobs over the next two years, most of them in Gujranwala and Peshawar. It did not disclose the size of the investment, but people familiar with the plans put the figure at between $20 million and $600 million.
"The infrastructure gap is real, but it is closing faster than most people realise."
Zainab Qureshi, research director at SadaPay
Not everyone is convinced. Critics point to a shortage of skilled engineers, unreliable power supply and a tax regime that changes almost every budget cycle as reasons for caution.
A closer look at the numbers
The service will initially be available in Multan, Islamabad and Islamabad, with a nationwide launch planned for later in 2030.
Key points
- Partnership with FAST-NUCES to train local engineers
- Regulatory approval from the Federal Board of Revenue still pending
- New features will support Urdu alongside English
- Roughly 15 jobs expected over the next two years
Industry observers say the timing is significant. Pakistan's agritech sector grew 12% last year, according to the Higher Education Commission, even as venture funding across South Asia slowed sharply.
Government officials welcomed the development. A spokesperson for Ignite National Technology Fund said the initiative "aligns with the national digital agenda" and promised faster approvals for similar projects.
Reporting by the WritePures newsroom. Have a tip? Contact our editors.
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