Pakistan must strengthen its digital infrastructure and address a serious skills shortage to accelerate technology-sector growth and achieve its $15 billion IT export target, Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said on Saturday.
She spoke at the American Business Forum and LUMS Thought Leadership Session, titled “Taking Pakistan’s IT Industry to the Next Level.” The Lahore University of Management Sciences hosted the event.
The minister said Pakistan needed better fibre connectivity, mobile broadband, spectrum availability and satellite regulations. These improvements would create an environment where technology businesses could expand, attract investment and compete internationally.
Pakistan’s Economic Survey 2025-26 reported that ICT service exports reached $3.388 billion during July to March of the fiscal year. The country also had about 161 million broadband subscribers, highlighting the sector’s growing economic importance.
Skills Shortage Threatens Growth
Shaza Fatima said digital infrastructure alone could not drive the sector forward. Pakistan must also develop professionals with skills that match industry requirements.
“The jobs are there. The opportunity is there. But the right people with the right skills are not there,” she said.
The minister disclosed that around 33,000 seventh and eighth-semester computer science students had taken a national baseline test. The assessment covered 10 employability competencies.
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Only 0.4% of the students scored above 80%, while around 4% secured more than 68%, she said.
Shaza Fatima called for structural improvements in university curricula, teaching standards and the K-12 education system. She said skilled human resources and a stronger digital ecosystem would both be critical for meeting the $15 billion IT export target.
Umair Khan, Co-founder and Chairman of Folio3 and Founding Partner of Mentors Fund, urged Pakistan to move beyond its heavy reliance on freelancing. He said the country needed technology companies that could develop products and scale internationally.
Khan also called for better K-12 education, predictable taxation and stronger partnerships between the government and private sector.
Industry Calls for More Local Opportunities
Dr Syed Sohail H. Naqvi, Chairperson of Knowledge Streams and Director of EdTech at TMC, challenged the view that universities represented the main obstacle.
“We are saying that the logjam is in the universities, and I’m saying hell no. I’m saying the logjam is in the jobs,” he said.
Naqvi urged the government to increase technology procurement and provide more opportunities to local companies.
Ahmed Azmat, Director Operations at Stewart Pakistan, described Pakistan as a promising technology investment destination. He said Stewart Pakistan had operated in the country for more than 15 years and continued to expand.
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The company recently invested $1.3 million in a new office at the National NSTEP facility, he added.
Dr Hadia Majid, Faculty of Economics at LUMS, said technology and freelancing could increase women’s workforce participation. Remote work could offer women greater flexibility and access to employment, she said.
The American Business Forum organised the session with LUMS. Dr Ihsan Ayyub Qazi, Faculty of Computer Science at LUMS, moderated the discussion involving government, industry and academic representatives.
