ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday inaugurated the state-of-the-art National Technology Park in Islamabad.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the PM termed the facility as a milestone towards Pakistan’s progress and prosperity. The Prime Minister named National Technology Park as ‘Daanish Technology Park.’ He emphasised that the IT Park is not merely an infrastructure project but a comprehensive ecosystem integrating incubation centers, industrialists, entrepreneurs, IT experts, academia, SMEs, and tech startups.Shehbaz Sharif directed the relevant authorities to initiate a transparent bidding process and invite top national and international IT and AI companies to operate the facility.
Reaffirming the government’s commitment to youth empowerment, the Prime Minister announced that similar modern and state-of-the-art technology parks will be established across the country, including in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Earlier, addressing the ceremony, Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja reaffirmed the government’s commitment to accelerating Pakistan’s digital transformation. She said the National Technology Park in Islamabad will serve as a digital business and technology ecosystem.She said the initiative could not have materialized without the steadfast leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Highlighting the government’s digital outreach, the Minister said public-private partnerships have facilitated the establishment of small technology centers in sixty-five districts across the country during last two years.
She said one hundred and thirty-five of these centers are currently providing youth with round-the-clock internet access to polish their skills. Also, PM Shehbaz Sharif approved measures to improve passenger facilitation at airports and address the difficulties faced by them. He accorded the approval while chairing a review meeting in Islamabad today regarding the customs system. The prime minister directed the immediate installation of smart scanners at all airports in the country. He instructed customs officials to avoid subjecting passengers to unnecessary questioning. He said an internationally prevalent automated system will be introduced for screening passengers’ luggage, while staff deployed for other airport services will also be trained as per international standards.
