PROVINCE REPORT
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday unveiled the foundation plaque of Google’s Pakistan office, and described it as a significant milestone in the country’s digital transformation journey.
Addressing the delegation here at the Prime Minister’s Office, PM Shehbaz Sharif said it was the delegation’s first visit to Pakistan, adding that he hoped it would be followed by many more in the times to come.
He said Google was a household name not only in Pakistan but across the world, and that there existed great scope for building a wonderful partnership with the company to enhance bilateral engagement in multiple areas.
The prime minister termed it an interesting coincidence that the visit was taking place at a time when Pakistan was undergoing a major digital transformation across various areas of governance, and noted that the country’s youth bulge could be leveraged to turn around Pakistan’s economic fortunes.
Vice President of Google, Wilson L. White, said it was a profound honour to be on his first visit to Pakistan, calling it a great milestone achieved on the day. He said the occasion marked the culmination of a long-standing commitment, as Google had been investing in and committed to Pakistan for over a decade, and that the opening of its local office was a very special moment.
He said the prime minister’s ambition of making Pakistan a US$30-billion IT export hub was very much aligned with Google’s own goals. He informed the meeting that over the past ten years, Google had contributed to more than Rs 3.9 trillion of economic activity for local Pakistani businesses and households, supporting over 960,000 jobs, adding that this was just the beginning.
The Google Vice President said the company was committing to Pakistan’s IT export goals in three major ways: by investing in Pakistani people, in manufacturing and infrastructure around export hardware, and in local businesses. He said Pakistan’s digital transformation was only possible through investment in its people, and that Google had already contributed to the upskilling of over one million Pakistanis through its career certificate programmes, in collaboration with schools and teachers, to prepare them for the digital transformation ahead.
He further announced that Google Gemini subscriptions would be made free for all students in Pakistan for one year, with a formal announcement to follow later in the week.
The prime minister, along with the Google delegation, was flanked by United States Charge d’Affaires Natalie Baker and Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja during the unveiling of the foundation plaque of the Google Pakistan office.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif felicitated the Google team and Pakistani officials on the occasion, calling it a wonderful day for the partnership and a stepping stone towards a long journey of collaboration in a field he described as both attractive and the need of the hour.
He said the government would empower Pakistan’s youth through modern tools, techniques and technology, and thanked Google Vice President Wilson for visiting Pakistan, expressing hope that the visit would translate into dozens of such visits every year. He remarked that the partnership would blossom like a beautiful flower.
United States Charge d’Affaires Natalie Baker also felicitated the prime minister on the occasion.
