GILGIT: Prince Rahim Agha Khan inaugurated the new Software Technology Park in Nasirabad, Hunza, on Saturday.

The new facility, a collaborative effort between the Special Communications Organisation (SCO) and Aga Khan Foundation Pakistan (AKF-P), aims to bolster the sustainable development of Gilgit-Baltistan.

The park aims to provide an uninterrupted power supply, high-speed internet, and a co-working space designed for startups, freelancers and local businesses.

It will serve as a central hub in a network linking other IT facilities across the region. It will enhance access to distance learning, entrepreneurship, career counselling and digital skills development, stimulating freelance business opportunities.

The ceremony saw the presence of key figures, including SCO DG Maj Gen Umar Ahmad Shah; Sultan Ali Allana, director of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development and chairman of Habib Bank Ltd; Nizar Mewawalla, president of the Ismaili Council for Pakistan; and AKF-P CEO Akhtar Iqbal.

Prince Rahim is currently visiting Pakistan to meet with government officials and community leaders and review new Aga Khan Development Network projects in Gilgit-Baltistan.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2024