RAWALPINDI: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday expressed his complete satisfaction over the operational preparedness of Pakistan Army, acknowledging the pivotal role of the armed forces in maintaining strategic stability in the region.

The prime minister, who was attending the concluding session of army war game, also acknowledged the armed forces’ role in preserving the delicate balance of power essential for peace in nuclearised South Asia, according to a press release.

The prime minister was bri­efed on the recently concluded war game and operational readiness of the army across the full spectrum of threat.

The military leadership reaffirmed its unwavering resolve to safeguard the national sovereignty and territorial integrity at all cost. Federal ministers for defence, finance and information, Chief of the Army Staff and senior military officials were in attendance at the event.

Appreciates Google’s role in enabling Pakistanis to get 1m jobs in 2023 alone

Google investment

Meanwhile, a four-member delegation of Google led by its APAC region president, Scott Beaumont, on Thursday called on PM Sharif.

Welcoming the delegation, the prime minister said that Pakis­tan stands on the threshold of a transformative leap in its digital economy.

Sharing the government’s plans to achieve the target of $25 billion exports in the next five years, the prime minister said that funds have been allocated for training of youth, improvement of IT infrastructure and improvement of the regulatory environment.

Mr Sharif appreciated Google for undertaking initiatives that have significantly improved the lives of thousands of Pakistanis over the last few years.

Noting with satisfaction that Google has enabled Pakistani youth to get close to one million jobs in 2023 alone, the prime minister underlined that it is reflective of the country’s potential in the digital world and Google’s commitment to upskilling and uplifting the youth of the country.

Apprising the prime minister of its plans of future engagement, Mr Scott said that Google has decided to further increase its investment footprints in Pakis­tan and support the government’s initiatives of the youths’ skill training. He reiterated that by 2026, five lakh Chromebooks will be manufactured in Pakistan which will revolutionise the IT Industry of Pakistan.

Chromebook launched

Meanwhile, Google on Thurs­d­ay launched an initiative to produce half a million Chromebooks in Pakistan, marking the occasion by presenting the first device to the prime minister at a ceremony held in Islamabad.

Mr Beaumont, the president of Google APAC region, presented a locally manufactured Chromebook to the PM.

Speaking at the ceremony, the prime minister appreciated the contribution of Google on global level and in Pakistan as well.

He said the young generation of the country is much capable in the field of information technology and that could play key role in economic development of the country.

Published in Dawn, September 6th, 2024