PM Shehbaz Unveils Foundation Plaque for Google Pakistan Office

Islamabad, The Gulf Observer: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday unveiled the foundation plaque of Google’s Pakistan office, describing the development as a significant milestone in the country’s digital transformation journey.

Addressing a delegation of Google officials at the Prime Minister’s Office, the prime minister welcomed the company’s delegation on its first visit to Pakistan and expressed hope that it would pave the way for increased engagement and cooperation in the future.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Google was a globally recognized household name, including in Pakistan, and emphasized the considerable potential for developing a strong partnership with the technology giant across multiple areas.

He noted that Google’s visit came at a significant time as Pakistan was pursuing digital transformation across various sectors of governance and seeking to harness the potential of its young population to accelerate economic growth.

Google Vice President Wilson L. White described his first visit to Pakistan as a profound honour and termed the opening of the company’s local office a major milestone. He said the occasion represented the culmination of Google’s longstanding commitment to Pakistan, where the company has been investing and operating for more than a decade.

White said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ambition to transform Pakistan into a $30 billion IT export hub was closely aligned with Google’s objectives. He said that over the past decade, Google had contributed more than Rs3.9 trillion in economic activity for Pakistani businesses and households while supporting more than 960,000 jobs.

He said Google would support Pakistan’s IT export ambitions through investments in Pakistani talent, manufacturing and infrastructure linked to export-oriented hardware, as well as local businesses.

The Google vice president emphasized that Pakistan’s digital transformation depended fundamentally on investment in its people. He said Google had already helped upskill more than one million Pakistanis through its career certificate programmes, in collaboration with schools and teachers, to equip them with skills needed for the digital economy.

White further announced that Google Gemini subscriptions would be provided free of charge to all students in Pakistan for one year, with a formal announcement expected later in the week.

During the plaque-unveiling ceremony, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Google delegation were accompanied by United States Charge d’Affaires Natalie Baker and Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja.

The prime minister congratulated the Google team and Pakistani officials on the occasion, describing it as an important day for the partnership between Pakistan and Google and a stepping stone toward long-term collaboration in the technology sector.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to empowering Pakistan’s youth through modern tools, techniques and technology, and expressed appreciation to Wilson L. White for visiting Pakistan.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed hope that the visit would lead to greater and more frequent exchanges between Pakistan and Google, saying the partnership would continue to grow and flourish.

United States Charge d’Affaires Natalie Baker also congratulated the prime minister and the Pakistani government on the occasion.