Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said Wednesday that Pakistan\u2019s Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy, which was finalised after a year of consultations at home and abroad, is likely to be approved soon.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a seminar at Quaid-i-Azam University, the minister reaffirmed the government\u2019s strong commitment to implementing the AI policy. She urged all stakeholders to play an active role in turning the policy into reality.
\n\u201cOur main focus now is on putting the policy into action,\u201d she said. \u201cWe want everyone to join this journey and help bring the ideas to life.\u201d
\nShe asked relevant experts and organisations to carefully review the six core areas of the policy and suggest improvements where needed. These areas include innovation, awareness, infrastructure, AI ethics and safety, sectoral changes, and global cooperation.
\nShaza Fatima said her ministry is open to feedback through email and social media. She added that Pakistan is in a good position to embrace new technologies at a time when the global landscape is shifting.
\n\u201cWe have a strong starting point,\u201d she said. \u201cIf we work together, nothing can stop our progress. But for this, we must leave behind narrow thinking and work as a team.\u201d
\nThe minister praised the high number of women attending the event and said their involvement in technology is essential. \u201cNo country can succeed by leaving out half its population,\u201d she said. \u201cWomen\u2019s inclusion is not optional\u2014it\u2019s necessary for growth.\u201d
\nShe said Pakistan must adopt modern technology and create homegrown solutions for the challenges it faces. \u201cIf we go along with these changes, we can change our country\u2019s future,\u201d she added.
\nFocusing on youth training, Shaza Fatima said that over 350,000 young Pakistanis have received training through joint programs with the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), Ignite, NAVTTC, HEC, and global tech companies like Google, Huawei, and Microsoft.
\n\u201cOur aim is to ensure that every IT graduate either gets a job or starts a business,\u201d she said. She said that billions of rupees have been set aside in the Public Sector Development Programme and other budgets to promote employment in the digital and AI sectors.
\nHowever, she stressed that real success depends on teamwork. \u201cThe ministry alone cannot do everything. Centres of Excellence and other institutions must work together. Development depends on national cooperation,\u201d she said.
\nThe minister highlighted that Pakistan hosted its first-ever Digital Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Forum this year, with delegates from 45 countries, including ICT ministers. Organized with the help of Saudi Arabia\u2019s Digital Cooperation Organization, the forum resulted in MoUs worth $700 million, making it the largest digital investment event in the country\u2019s history.
\nShe encouraged local firms and innovation centers to pursue international partnerships. \u201cIf you are ready to collaborate, the funding is available,\u201d she said.
\nShaza Fatima also shared that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif used the forum to promote Pakistan as a rising digital economy, not just in one sector, but across the board.
\nShe said special focus is being given to early-stage and growing startups to help them develop products and reach markets faster. She also announced the launch of the Pakistan Startup Fund, especially for AI-driven businesses.
\n\u201cThis fund is set to become one of the biggest government-supported platforms for innovation, research, and product development,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said Wednesday that Pakistan\u2019s Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy, which was finalised after a year of consultations at home and abroad, is likely to be approved soon. Speaking at a seminar at Quaid-i-Azam University, the minister reaffirmed the government\u2019s strong commitment to implementing the AI policy. …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":69008,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84188"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84201,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84188\/revisions\/84201"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69008"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nabanews.pk\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}