Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif formally inaugurated Google's first office in Pakistan

Google has set up its first office in Pakistan and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formally inaugurated the office along with Google’s Vice President of Public Policy Wilson White and the US Charg d’Affaires.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, a 9-member Google delegation met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, led by Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy Wilson White and accompanied by the US Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires in Islamabad Natalie Baker.

Welcoming the delegation, the Prime Minister said that a large-scale digital transformation process is underway in Pakistan, including the digitization of government affairs and the economy. He briefed the delegation on the government’s vision of a Digital Nation Pakistan and the implementation of several measures to create a national digital ecosystem is in the final stages.

The Prime Minister reiterated the government’s commitment to developing IT infrastructure on modern lines and briefed the delegation about the ongoing programs to train the youth in IT and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

He stressed the importance of collaborating with a global technology company like Google to achieve these goals and welcomed Google’s decision to open an office in Pakistan, saying that this would further strengthen the country’s partnership with the company.

The Prime Minister appreciated Google’s role in advancing Pakistan’s digital economy and praised the initiatives that have provided decent employment opportunities to thousands of Pakistani youth.

Highlighting the potential of Pakistani youth in the digital sector, the Prime Minister expressed hope that Google would further expand its activities to enhance the skills of the youth and empower them.

He added that now that Google’s presence has been established in Pakistan, impactful programs can be run on a larger scale.

Briefing the Prime Minister about Google’s future plans, Wilson White said that the local office will further strengthen Google’s commitment to accelerating the digital transformation process in Pakistan and will build on existing partnerships to create long-term opportunities for Pakistani youth and help take local businesses to the global stage.

He expressed satisfaction with the Chromebook assembly line set up by Google with local partners and said that there is a huge potential for exporting Chromebooks assembled in Pakistan to other countries in the region.

The head of the delegation said that Google recognizes the immense potential of Pakistan’s young population and is keen to expand its skills development programs in IT, AI, gaming and other fields.

On this occasion, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Mr. Wilson White, US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker and other officials jointly unveiled a plaque to mark the inauguration of Google’s office in Pakistan.