ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday formally unveiled a $1 billion national investment plan for artificial intelligence and adopted the landmark Islamabad Declaration on Sovereign AI as the Indus AI Summit 2026 concluded at the Jinnah Convention Centre, marking a decisive shift from AI policy planning to implementation.
The summit, organised by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication as the anchor event of Indus AI Week (February 9–15), was attended by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif as chief guest, alongside Federal Minister for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja, senior federal ministers, international experts, and global technology leaders.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister described artificial intelligence as a strategic pillar of national development rather than a future ambition, stressing that Pakistan would no longer remain a passive consumer of global AI technologies.
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He said the government was committed to positioning Pakistan as a regional AI hub, anchored in ethical adoption, sovereign control, and youth-led innovation.
As part of the government’s AI roadmap, the Prime Minister announced USD1 billion in public investment in AI by 2030 to develop sovereign compute infrastructure and expand national research capacity. He also announced the introduction of AI curricula in federal schools and educational institutions in AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan, and remote areas of Balochistan, along with 1,000 fully funded PhD scholarships in AI and a nationwide initiative to train one million non-IT professionals in AI applications to improve workforce productivity.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal said AI was central to the government’s “Uraan Pakistan” economic transformation agenda. He emphasized the need to close the gap between academia and industry to convert technological innovation into exports, productivity gains, and sustainable employment across provinces.
IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja highlighted AI as a matter of national sovereignty and economic resilience, noting that implementation had already begun through full e-office adoption across federal ministries and the development of high-performance computing foundations. She said Pakistan was actively pursuing international partnerships to scale capacity and establish credibility in the global technology ecosystem.
A defining outcome of the summit was the formal announcement of the Islamabad Declaration, which outlines Pakistan’s national principles for Sovereign AI and Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). Built around eight strategic pillars—including sovereign purpose, data privacy, explainable and auditable AI, whole-of-government governance, and private-sector-led innovation—the Declaration is designed as an execution-focused framework rather than a symbolic policy statement.
The summit featured keynote addresses from global technology leaders, including Aisha Bin Bishr, Muhammet KasmGönüllü, and Randolph Goebel, alongside executives from leading telecom, AI, and research organisations.
High-level panels and fireside discussions examined AI governance, sovereign data frameworks, AI-native government design, financing models, and trust-based human-AI interfaces, with participation from experts representing academia, industry, multilateral institutions, and venture capital.
The summit concluded with a strategic dialogue on the next phase of implementation, chaired by industry leaders and policymakers, setting the tone for practical outcomes during the remainder of Indus AI Week.
With the conclusion of the summit, focus now shifts to the Innovation, Learning and Engagement Arena at the Islamabad Sports Complex, where students, startups, and the public will engage with hands-on AI demonstrations and capacity-building activities through February 15.
The Indus AI Summit 2026 is being positioned by the government as a turning point in Pakistan’s digital trajectory—signalling the country’s intent to harness artificial intelligence as a driver of economic growth, public-sector reform, and global collaboration.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026