Syed Asfer - Connected Pakistan

To start selling online in Pakistan, choose a platform (Daraz for instant reach, Shopify/WooCommerce for your own brand, or Facebook/Instagram/WhatsApp for social selling), pick a product with real demand, set up payments via JazzCash, easypaisa, or cash-on-delivery, arrange delivery through a courier, and list with quality photos. Pakistan's e-commerce market exceeds PKR 1.2 trillion in 2026.

The National Artificial Intelligence Advancement Initiative (NAAI) is Pakistan's plan, launched July 2026 by MoITT under the National AI Policy, to establish seven AI Hubs in Islamabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Muzaffarabad, and Gilgit. It aims to incubate 560 AI startups over two years and provide 150 non-dilutive seed grants.

Pakistan is experiencing large-scale skilled emigration, with official data showing roughly 11,000 engineers, 5,000 doctors, and 13,000 accountants leaving between 2024 and 2025. Drivers include economic instability, low pay, limited opportunity, and better prospects abroad. While remittances (over $38 billion in 2024-25) cushion the economy, critics warn the long-term loss of talent and innovation is harder to replace.

Pakistan's Ministry of IT and Telecommunication (MoITT) is developing a 10-year digital transformation roadmap to modernize digital governance and strengthen the digital economy. Announced in July 2026, it will be implemented in three phases, short term (0-2 years), medium term (3-5 years), and long term (6-10 years), as part of a broader ministry restructuring.

Meta is reportedly in early-stage talks to lease AI computing power to Anthropic in a deal potentially worth up to $10 billion over two years. Anthropic proposed it in June 2026. The talks reflect a severe industry-wide compute shortage, and would mark Meta's entry into cloud computing. No agreement has been reached.

At the Indus RAS Expo on July 23, 2026, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launched the Spark and Elevate Program to promote robotics and autonomous systems, and announced a $20 million Pakistan Venture Fund to support innovation, research, and technology startups. The goal is turning research into commercial technologies and creating high-quality jobs.

Pakistan has assigned E-Band spectrum to mobile operators to provide high-capacity wireless backhaul for 5G. The move addresses a key bottleneck: only about 17.9% of Pakistan's mobile towers are connected by fiber. Operators must reach 20% fiber-to-the-site by 2028, rising to 35% by 2035, under their 5G licence conditions.

AI jobs are among Pakistan's fastest-growing and highest-paying tech careers in 2026. Top roles include machine learning engineer, data scientist, AI engineer, and NLP specialist. Local salaries range from about PKR 50,000-80,000/month for entry level to PKR 200,000+ for senior roles, while remote work for global clients can pay $1,000-3,000+ monthly.

Pakistan ranks 8th out of 17 countries in South and Central Asia on the Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index, placing it below India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The index measures government vision, digital infrastructure, and data systems. Pakistan has made progress but lags due to gaps in infrastructure, data systems, and implementation.

Pakistan's 5G is live in 22 cities with 449 active tower sites as of mid-2026, and 3.81 million 5G-ready phones are registered. However, 5G currently runs on existing 4G towers with no new infrastructure yet, so users still face slow speeds and dropped calls. New 5G infrastructure is expected over the next six to eight months.

Yes, Pakistanis can sell on Amazon. Pakistan is on Amazon's approved seller list, so you can register using Pakistani documents. You receive payments through Payoneer, then withdraw to a local bank in rupees. Realistic startup budgets for private label range from $3,000 to $8,000, and beginners should treat it as a real business, not a shortcut.

GPT-Live is OpenAI's new generation of ChatGPT voice models, launched July 8, 2026. It uses a full-duplex design, meaning it can listen and speak at the same time, so you can interrupt naturally, and it responds with cues like "mhmm." It rolls out globally on iOS, Android, and web, replacing Advanced Voice Mode.