Ali Raza Khan 
Pakistan has opened Indus AI Week in Islamabad with a headline commitment: invest $1 billion in artificial intelligence by 2030. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif linked the plan to productivity, competitiveness, and jobs. The week runs from February 9 to 15, 2026, with the opening summit at Islamabad’s Jinnah Convention Centre.
From Policy Talk To Execution
At launch, the government outlined a talent pipeline. It announced AI curriculum expansion in federally run schools and in AJK, Gilgit-Baltistan, and remote Balochistan; 1,000 fully funded AI PhD scholarships by 2030; and a nationwide program to train one million non-IT professionals. Pakistan had already approved a national AI policy in 2025, and this summit is now being framed as implementation, not policy-only talk.
Skills Push, Declaration, And Global Signaling
A Ministry of IT release said the summit gathered more than 1,000 participants, including 150 international delegates, and introduced the Islamabad AI Declaration centered on sovereign, inclusive, and responsible AI. Official updates are available on the Indus AI Week portal and the Government of Pakistan’s official post on X.
Why This Matters In 2026
This announcement lands as Global South governments push for domestic AI capacity. In 2025, Pakistan allocated 2,000MW in a first phase for bitcoin mining and AI data centers, signaling compute-readiness ambitions. Arab News also reported sovereign AI cloud and startup-fund moves alongside this agenda.
Officials say early AI deployment priorities include agriculture and mines, with youth-skilling at the center. Together, policy, skills, and infrastructure signals suggest Islamabad is trying to move from IT services volume to AI value creation. Visit this site for more updates.
FAQs
1) What is Indus AI Week?
It is Pakistan’s national AI platform connecting policy leaders, startups, researchers, students, and investors nationwide.
2) What does the $1 billion commitment cover?
Funding targets AI education, research scholarships, workforce training, and broader ecosystem capacity through 2030 implementation.
3) How many people will receive AI skills training?
The government says one million non-IT professionals will be trained to improve productivity and livelihoods.
4) Is this plan only for IT graduates?
No, plans include school curriculum expansion and non-IT workforce upskilling across sectors like agriculture, mining.
5) Why is this summit significant right now?
It signals Pakistan wants sovereign AI capabilities, global partnerships, and faster real-economy deployment in 2026.
