Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal formally launched Quantum Valley Pakistan in Islamabad under the theme “Shaping Pakistan’s Innovation and Technology Future,” describing the launch ceremony as marking a new direction for the country rather than simply the inauguration of another project. “Today is not merely the inauguration of a project; it marks the beginning of a new direction for Pakistan’s future,” he said, adding that the initiative would help connect Pakistani youth with global centres of innovation and technology. The ceremony was attended by Tim Rowe, CEO of the Cambridge Innovation Centre (CIC), Dougan Sherwood, Partner at CIC, and Seena Amidi, Managing Partner at Plug and Play, bringing two established international innovation organizations directly into the launch event.
Two agreements were signed during the ceremony, one between CIC and Quantum Valley Pakistan and another between Plug and Play and Quantum Valley Pakistan, both aimed at strengthening technological collaboration and supporting the country’s broader innovation ecosystem. Iqbal called the agreements an important step toward equipping Pakistani youth with modern technology and creating pathways for innovation, entrepreneurship, and high-tech business development, framing the partnerships as concrete institutional commitments rather than symbolic gestures. He said Quantum Valley Pakistan would serve as a platform connecting Pakistani youth with global technology and innovation hubs while bringing stakeholders together within a modern technology ecosystem, positioning the initiative to create new opportunities specifically for startups and high-tech businesses operating in the country.
Iqbal argued that the centre of power in the 21st century is no longer physical strength but intellectual and creative capability, adding that countries with the best ideas and the ability to turn them into products would move ahead in the global economy. He noted that nearly 60 percent of Pakistan’s population is young, calling the country’s youth capable of matching any other nation’s talent and potential, and urged them to bring their capabilities together with the spirit of “Team Pakistan.” Linking the launch to the government’s broader economic goals, Iqbal reiterated targets of a $1 trillion economy by 2035 and a $3 trillion economy by 2047, acknowledging the first target as difficult but not impossible, and drawing a comparison to Pakistan’s nuclear programme, which he said advanced despite widespread skepticism at the time through national commitment and consensus.
The minister recalled that Pakistan established several National Centres in emerging fields back in 2017, including Big Data and Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Automation and Robotics, GIS and Space Technology, Applied Mathematics, and Livestock and Genomics, connecting universities into a national technology network that he said was accelerated further in 2024 under the Uraan Pakistan framework. He said the resulting technology ecosystem would contribute to the government’s target of raising Pakistan’s exports to $100 billion by 2035, tying Quantum Valley Pakistan directly to the country’s broader export ambitions rather than treating it as a standalone research initiative. Citing Pakistan’s population of 260 million as a source of economic potential, Iqbal said the country needs to build the capacity to generate at least $400 billion annually in foreign exchange, describing the government’s aim as transforming young people from job seekers into architects of knowledge, innovation, and development. The launch builds on groundwork laid since May 2025, when Iqbal first chaired a strategic meeting reviewing progress on the initiative’s design framework, developed in partnership with the University of Cambridge’s St John’s Innovation Centre following his earlier visit to Cambridge.
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