Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said that the Indus AI Week event will present Pakistan as a strong and reliable partner on the global stage and will significantly transform the country’s technological landscape.
Addressing the event, the prime minister highlighted that during his tenure as chief minister, several major initiatives were launched in the fields of education, health, revenue collection, and youth development. He emphasized that special focus was placed on the IT sector in Punjab, including the distribution of laptops to talented students and the establishment of e-libraries.
He noted that Pakistan is moving forward with collective determination and enthusiasm. During his earlier tenure, Lahore’s first Safe City project was launched, and the country’s first IT university was also established.
Referring to governance reforms, the prime minister said transparency in land records was ensured, corruption was curtailed through land record reforms, and revenue officers’ malpractice was eliminated. The introduction of e-stamp papers helped increase government income, while full digitization of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) brought greater transparency to tax collection.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pointed out that 60 percent of Pakistan’s 240 million population consists of youth, stressing that equipping young people with modern education and skills is the need of the hour. He said Pakistan is now ready to step onto the global stage in the field of artificial intelligence.
He added that AI education has been introduced in schools across the federation, Azad Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Balochistan, while efforts have been made to reach rural areas and provide youth with modern knowledge and technical skills.
The prime minister acknowledged that artificial intelligence comes with both benefits and challenges. He also stated that modern scanners and equipment have been installed at ports to curb smuggling, and youth have been trained in agriculture, trade, and other economic sectors.
Concluding his remarks, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan will face every challenge with resolve and secure its rightful place in the global community.
