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Digital Pakistan and the Imperative of Implementing the National AI Policy

By Nisar Hussain

Column: Diwan-e-Aam

The world is passing through a new industrial and technological wave that can rightly be described as the digital era. Mobile phones, the internet, cloud infrastructure, robotics, artificial intelligence and advanced IT services have transformed not only communication and commerce but the very foundations of education, healthcare, governance and economic development. Any nation that delays adopting these technologies risks falling behind in the global race for competitiveness.

This reality compels Pakistan to treat these domains not as slogan-driven initiatives but as true national priorities. The essential question, however, is whether the steps taken by the Government of Pakistan are sufficient to meet the demands of this new age.

One of the most significant developments in recent years is the approval of the National AI Policy 2025, which has opened the path toward building a comprehensive artificial intelligence ecosystem in the country. The policy sets ambitious targets.

These include developing a large skilled workforce, establishing national AI funds, launching thousands of AI-enabled public projects, supporting the creation of over a thousand indigenous AI products, and opening new avenues for research and education. Alongside this, the federal government has also announced the formation of an AI Council and a Master Plan to ensure that the policy moves beyond paperwork and enters the realm of practical implementation.

In the national budget, the government has allocated substantial funds for digitalisation, artificial intelligence and IT parks. Consequently, more than twenty software technology parks have been established or are under development across the country. The major IT parks in Karachi and Islamabad are emerging as significant centres for new tech start-ups as well as companies exporting software and IT-enabled services.

The surge in Pakistan’s IT exports further validates this digital transition. In the previous financial year, exports of IT and IT-enabled services grew by nearly twenty four percent, contributing to a positive foreign exchange surplus. Likewise, capacity-building programmes such as the Cloud Applied Generative AI initiative have equipped thousands of young Pakistanis with cutting-edge skills that can consolidate Pakistan’s presence in the global technology marketplace in the years ahead.

Yet despite this progress, several critical gaps remain, and they cannot be ignored. Announcing a policy is always the easiest step. The real challenge is implementation. Even if research and training centres are established, they will remain confined to files and reports unless they generate genuine opportunities for learning, innovation and industry collaboration.

Another reality is that Pakistan’s digital infrastructure is not uniformly developed. Major cities enjoy robust mobile connectivity and digital services but many smaller towns and rural areas still face limited access. If this disparity persists, the digital divide will widen and could evolve into a new form of socioeconomic inequality.

Another challenge is that training a few thousand or even a few hundred thousand individuals will not be sufficient. Pakistan is a young nation, and millions of its youth are waiting for modern technological education and employment opportunities.

Training only creates meaningful impact when it is accompanied by job creation, investment and tangible connections with industry. Pakistan must also reduce its reliance on foreign AI tools, platforms and cloud services. Excessive dependence will weaken technological sovereignty and delay the development of AI technologies that understand local languages, social realities and cultural contexts.

Concerns related to data privacy and cyber security are even more sensitive. As digital systems expand, the laws and regulatory frameworks that govern them must be strengthened proportionately.

Pakistan’s future can only be secured if the government moves beyond announcements and places performance at the centre of its approach. An autonomous authority should be established to oversee the effective implementation of the National AI Policy. This body must remain independent of political pressure and publish annual progress reports.

The country must prioritise the development of indigenous cloud and data centre infrastructure to ensure data protection and support local industry. Training initiatives must not remain confined to major cities. They must reach rural areas, women and underprivileged communities so that every segment of society can participate in this digital age.

Educational institutions should integrate high-quality courses in artificial intelligence, data science and cloud computing while research must be funded so that Pakistan evolves from being a technology consumer to becoming a technology creator.

If these measures are pursued with consistency, transparency and seriousness, Pakistan can meaningfully alter the trajectory of its development. New employment opportunities will emerge for the youth. Exports will continue to grow.

Governance will become more efficient and transparent. The country will be able to carve out its place in the global digital economy. However, if we continue to rely solely on policy announcements without translating them into concrete action, this historic opportunity may slip away. Pakistan stands at a crossroads.

This moment can either become the beginning of a new direction or the world will continue to advance while we remain stationary. The choice ultimately depends on our collective resolve and our willingness to act.

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Work underway on 124 schemes in 342 villages under “Maryum Nawaz’s Beautiful Punjab” program

LAHORE: Work on 124 development schemes in 342 villages is under way under the “Maryum Nawaz’s Beautiful Punjab” program,officials were informed during a review meeting chaired by Zeeshan Rafique at the Civil Secretariat on Wednesday.

Secretary Local Government Shakeel Ahmed Mian,Special Secretary Arshad Baig and senior officials of the Punjab Rural Municipal Services Company attended the meeting,where PRMSC CEO Khurram Pervez briefed participants on the progress of the Model Village Program.

Speaking on the occasion,Zeeshan Rafique said 485 villages had been selected in the first phase of the chief minister’s Model Village Program,adding that work to provide urban-style facilities in the remaining villages would begin soon.

He said the completion of the first phase would benefit around 3.9 million people.

The provincial minister added that CM Maryam Nawaz had approved Rs.60 billion for the initiative and more funds would be allocated in the next fiscal year’s budget.

The minister directed the PRMSC to ensure both quality and pace of work,while instructing district administrative officers to regularly visit project sites.

He stressed that all-out efforts should be made to complete the first phase of the program by December 2026.

Rafique further said the chief minister had directed authorities to include 7,500 more villages in the program.

He added that restoration of traditional ponds,installation of streetlights,paving of streets and development of sewage systems were also part of the initiative aimed at improving sanitation and living conditions in rural areas.

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US intelligence assesses Iran retains 70% of prewar missile stockpile – report

NEW YORK: Iran is still in possession of the majority of its stockpiles of mobile launchers and missiles, suggesting that its military remains far stronger than President Donald Trump has asserted, according to a report inThe New York Times.

Citing people familiar with the assessments, the newspaper said that intelligence findings from early May show Iran has regained operational access to most of its missile sites, including 30 of the 33 missile sites along the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the report, Iran can still use the missile stockpiles in non-operational sites by launching them with mobile launchers, with the country maintaining roughly 70% of its mobile launcher inventory.

The assessments also found that nearly 90% of Iran’s underground missile storage and launch facilities nationwide are now “partially or fully operational.”

White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales was quoted as saying that Iran’s government knows that its “current reality is not sustainable” and that anyone who “thinks Iran has reconstituted its military is either delusional or a mouthpiece” for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Regional tensions have escalated since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliation from Tehran against Israel as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A two-week ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but subsequent talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. The truce was later extended indefinitely by Trump. Since then, Pakistan is working to revive the stalled diplomacy.

Trump rejected Iran’s latest response to a US proposal to permanently end the war, calling it “totally unacceptable.”

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Japan FY 2025 current account surplus hits record high for 3rd year in row

TOKYO: Japan’s current account surplus in the year through March hit a new high for the third year in a row at 34.52 trillion yen ($219 billion), as goods trade returned to the black for the first time in five years on strong chip exports, government data showed Wednesday.

The surplus rose 15.0 percent from a year earlier, also buoyed by increases in returns on foreign investments amid the weak yen. Primary income, which reflects how much Japan earned from overseas investments, climbed 2.1 percent to 42.28 trillion yen.

The goods trade balance registered a surplus of 1.36 trillion yen compared to a deficit of 3.03 trillion yen the previous year, the Finance Ministry said in a preliminary report.

Robust demand from Taiwan and other parts of Asia for Japanese electronic devices including semiconductors drove exports up 3.3 percent to 111.35 trillion yen.

Imports decreased 0.8 percent to 109.98 trillion yen as lower prices of crude oil pushed down overall shipments to Japan by value, with the impact of the Middle East conflict launched by U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28 not yet seen.

The weaker yen against the euro helped inflate dividends and interest earnings from overseas investments, with the yen falling 6.8 percent from a year earlier on average to 174.78 for fiscal 2025. The Japanese unit, meanwhile, traded 150.72 against the U.S. dollar on average in the same year, edging up 1.2 percent.

For the reported fiscal year, oil prices logged $71.41 per barrel, down 13.3 percent from the year before, the ministry said.

Services trade logged a deficit of 3.88 trillion yen, expanding red ink by 741.2 billion yen from the previous year, on rises in payouts for research and development purposes overseas.

The travel surplus shrank to 6.57 trillion yen from 6.60 trillion yen a year earlier, as the growth in foreign visitors to Japan was offset partly by more Japanese travelers going abroad, according to the ministry.

A surplus in the travel balance means spending in Japan by foreign visitors exceeded the amount spent overseas by Japanese.

In March alone, the country logged a 4.68 trillion yen current account surplus, gaining 29.1 percent from the year before, supported by increases in returns from overseas subsidiaries amid the weak yen.

A ministry official said it is difficult to estimate how much the Middle East situation affected the current account balance for March, as the conflict has hit both imports from and exports to the region by around 10 percent on year, citing separate trade data.

Inbound visitors from the Middle East decreased, but other factors, such as more travelers departing Japan, may have also influenced the overall travel balance, the official said.

The current account balance is one of the widest gauges of international trade.

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