Islamabad: Pakistan's IT and ICT exports reached a record $4.6 billion during the last fiscal year, marking significant progress in promoting its digital economy and artificial intelligence.
According to Radio Pakistan, the IT sector also posted a trade surplus of $3.9 billion, the highest ever recorded in Pakistan's services sector. The remittances earned by freelancers saw an increase of 78 percent during the fiscal year, reaching $1.76 billion.
The growth of the IT sector has been supported by government initiatives, which include the promotion of digital skills, tax incentives, foreign currency accounts for IT exporters, and skill development programs. The government has also introduced the National AI Policy 2025 and allocated $1 billion for artificial intelligence research and sovereign computing initiatives to be implemented by 2030.
Institutions like the Sino-Pak Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Haripur and the National Centre of Artificial Intelligence at NUST are playing a key role in promoting education, research, and innovation in the field of artificial intelligence. With the support of the Special Investment Facilitation Council, the country is moving rapidly towards greater global competitiveness in information technology and digital innovation.