KARACHI: Pakistan on Thursday became a founding member of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO) after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar signed the agreement establishing the forum in Shanghai.

Mr Dar “signed the agreement on the establishment of the WAICO on behalf of Pakistan at the signing ceremony held today in Shanghai, China”, the Foreign Office said.

As a founding member of WAICO, Pakistan reaffirmed its commitment to advancing international cooperation in the area of artificial intelligence, especially from the perspective of the Global South, it added.

“Pakistan looks forward to working closely with fellow WAICO member states in efforts to help bridge the global AI divide and to promote equitable access to AI to advance development for all,” the FO added.

Earlier in the day, FM Dar arrived in China to sign the agreement on behalf of Pakistan. China had proposed the creation of WAICO last year for AI governance.

During the visit to Shanghai, Foreign Minister Dar also took part in the World AI Conference and held a bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the conference, the FO said.

“The two leaders reviewed the broad canvas of Pakistan-China bilateral relations and reaffirmed their shared commitment to further deepening the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership.”

The FO said that during the meeting, the leaders underscored the importance of advancing high-quality development under CPEC 2.0 and enhancing collaboration in trade, investment, science and technology, the digital economy, and AI.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2026