ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday said Pakistan aimed to develop one million artificial intelligence (AI) professionals by 2030, as part of its broader strategy to strengthen the country’s digital economy and expand technological cooperation with Russia.
Addressing the Pakistan-Russia IT Collaboration: Industry Engagement Framework, the minister called for stronger bilateral cooperation in IT, emphasising joint ventures, technology partnerships, market access and pilot projects to translate business interactions into tangible commercial opportunities.
He said recent business-to-business meetings organised by the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) in collaboration with P@SHA had demonstrated the potential for closer commercial engagement, as five Russian companies held 16 meetings with 11 Pakistani firms.
He said the latest initiative should build on those interactions by providing companies with a clearer pathway from business discussions to commercial contracts.
Highlighting the importance of technology in Pakistan’s economic transformation, Mr Iqbal said e-Pakistan was one of the five core pillars of the National Economic Transformation Plan, with the government aiming to transform the country into a trillion-dollar economy by 2035.
He said cooperation with Russia could focus on automation and enterprise software for industry, digital supply chains for agriculture, secure digital systems for trade, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing and cybersecurity.
The minister stressed that Pakistan needed to move beyond exporting information technology services towards developing products and digital platforms for international markets.
Underscoring Pakistan’s human resource potential, he said the country produced more than 75,000 graduates annually, while its National AI Policy aimed to develop one million AI professionals by 2030.
He added that seven new AI centers would connect research, skills development, startups and industry to strengthen the country’s artificial intelligence ecosystem.
The minister observed that Russia’s longstanding scientific and engineering expertise, particularly in enterprise software, cloud computing and cybersecurity, complemented Pakistan’s engineering talent and international technology delivery experience.
Published in Dawn, November 6th, 2026
