Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday met with a high-level delegation from the international e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, led by James Dong, president of international markets, to explore opportunities for expanding Pakistan’s e-commerce sector.

During the meeting, the prime minister emphasized the growing importance of e-commerce as a major driver of exports and economic development. He directed the formation of a special committee to promote and facilitate the growth of online trade in Pakistan.

“There is immense potential in e-commerce to increase Pakistan’s exports,” said PM Shehbaz. “We must take practical steps to increase the number of Pakistani businesses operating on global platforms like Alibaba.”

He said that currently, around 300,000 Pakistani products are listed and sold through Alibaba’s platforms, while Dong said textile products were the most in-demand items. He praised the role of Pakistan’s business community in the global e-commerce ecosystem and expressed confidence in the country’s potential to scale up its presence further.

“Pakistan has unlimited potential to expand in e-commerce,” Dong noted. He also conveyed Alibaba Group’s keen interest in providing training and capacity-building opportunities to Pakistani entrepreneurs to help them succeed in the digital marketplace.

The meeting was also attended by Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman, and other senior officials.

In a separate but related development, Minister Shaza Fatima held talks with a delegation from Meta, led by Sarim Uzair, the director of public policy for South and Central Asia.

The minister reiterated that building a "Digital Pakistan" is central to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's vision, noting that the premier holds weekly meetings on developing a cashless economy. She highlighted that digital technologies are increasingly being used to improve public services, and that equipping Pakistani youth with digital skills remains a top government priority.

She called the effective use of artificial intelligence important for Pakistan's future and welcomed the preparation of AI models in Urdu language.

The Meta delegation briefed the minister on the company's work in large language models (LLMs) and artificial intelligence. They also expressed interest in trainings and AI collaboration in Pakistan.