The BanoQabil AI Hackathon Regional Round for Karachi is set to take place on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at the National Science and Technology Park (NASTP) on Main Shahrah-e-Faisal. Prof. Dr. Irfan Hyder, Vice Chancellor of Salim Habib University, has been confirmed as the event’s Honoured Guest, giving the regional round a notable academic figure’s presence at the proceedings. The Karachi leg is part of a wider rollout of regional rounds being held across the country under the broader AI Hackathon 2026 programme, with the stated aim of bringing together talented minds, AI-powered ideas, and the spirit of innovation to build solutions for tomorrow.
The hackathon falls under Bano Qabil, the flagship education and skills development initiative of Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan, run in partnership with Alibaba Cloud under the banner of the Alibaba Cloud AI Hackathon 2026. The competition was first launched in July 2026 as a nationwide initiative aimed at accelerating artificial intelligence innovation and strengthening Pakistan’s emerging technology ecosystem, with Bano Qabil Chairman Naveed Ali Baig describing it at the time as reflecting the organization’s commitment to developing the country’s next generation of technology leaders. The programme is open to a wide range of participants, including students, software engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs, developers, AI professionals, and early-stage startups, rather than being restricted to any single category of applicant.
Physical onboarding and regional rounds for the hackathon have been structured around Pakistan’s major urban centres, with earlier organizer guidance confirming that in-person sessions would be held in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad, and Rawalpindi, while remaining open to participants from across the country more broadly. At the regional stage, participants present their AI-powered solutions to regional judges before the strongest projects advance toward a national competition, following a structure the hackathon has used since registrations opened earlier this year with an original deadline of August 7. The format mirrors other recent Pakistani AI competitions, such as Telenor Pakistan’s AI Seekho 2026, which similarly moved from regional assessments through to a national finale with cash prizes for top-performing teams.
Beyond the competitive element, the hackathon has positioned itself around providing participants with guidance from international AI experts, access to Alibaba Cloud’s technologies and development resources, and opportunities to collaborate with mentors and peers across Pakistan’s growing AI community. Organizers have consistently framed the programme as part of Bano Qabil’s broader mission to expand access to high-quality technology education and prepare young Pakistanis for careers in emerging digital industries, extending the same philosophy that has underpinned the organization’s free IT courses since its founding. As the Karachi regional round brings the competition to NASTP this weekend, the event adds another city to the hackathon’s nationwide run as it works toward identifying the strongest AI solutions to carry forward to a national stage.
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