Prime Minister Shehbaz meets Google delegation and inaugurates company office in Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday met a nine-member delegation from Google as part of the inauguration ceremony of the tech giant’s local office in Pakistan.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony held at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad, the Prime Minister noted that there was great scope for improving the partnership with Google “in many ways”, adding that it was interesting and a “pure coincidence” that Google was here at a time when Pakistan was undergoing a “major digital transformation” in many areas of governance.

Chargé d’affaires of the US Embassy in Islamabad, Natalie Baker, and Federal Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, were also present during the inauguration of the founding plaque of Google office in Pakistan.

The prime minister noted that Pakistan is undergoing a massive digital transformation process, including digitization of government affairs and the economy, and briefed the delegation about the government’s vision of a ‘Digital Nation Pakistan’.

He reiterated the government’s commitment to modernize IT infrastructure and briefed the delegation about the ongoing programs to train youth in IT and Artificial Intelligence.

“We have a lot of young people and we can really change the fortunes of Pakistan, and we are doing a lot, but a lot more needs to be done,” he added.

Chief Minister Shehbaz noted that today was a “great day for our association” and a “springboard towards a long journey” to contribute to a field that was the calling of the day. “We will empower our youth through modern tools and technology, and I thank you for visiting Pakistan. I hope that today’s visit will translate into dozens of similar visits every year,” he added.

Google Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy Wilson L. White thanked the prime minister and said the company had been investing and committed to Pakistan for more than a decade, adding that being able to open a local office was a “special moment for us.”

“Their ambition to make Pakistan a $30 billion IT export hub aligns with the goals we have at Google,” White added.

He stated that in the last ten years, “Google has contributed to more than 3.9 trillion rupees of economic activity for local Pakistani businesses as well as households in Pakistan, contributing to more than 960,000 jobs, and this is just the beginning.”

Read: Google starts manufacturing Chromebooks in Haripur

He added that the company was promoting Pakistan’s goal of $30 billion IT exports in three ways: “by investing in the Pakistani people, investing in manufacturing and infrastructure of hardware exports, and investing in local companies.”

White said the digital transformation that was underway in Pakistan would only be successful if people invested properly in it.

“One of the things we have been doing is upskilling Pakistanis. We have contributed to upskilling one million Pakistanis through professional certificates and working with schools and teachers to ensure that Pakistanis are prepared for the digital economy that is on the way,” the vice president said.

He expressed satisfaction over the Chromebook assembly line set up by Google with local partners, adding that there is “huge potential” to export Chromebooks assembled in Pakistan to other countries in the region.

White further said that later this week, the tech giant would announce that it would make Google Gemini subscriptions free for one year for all students.

Read more: A big leap towards AI

In November 2025, Federal Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja said Google would manufacture approximately 600,000 Chromebooks a year in Pakistan, marking a major milestone for the country’s technology sector.

Khawaja revealed that Google, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense Production and the National Radio and Telecommunications Corporation, had started manufacturing Chromebooks in Haripur. Launched as a public-private partnership with a local company, the project was expected to significantly boost Pakistan’s IT manufacturing industry.