Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja traveled to Riyadh to attend LEAP 2026, one of the world’s major technology summits, with Pakistani firms gearing up to showcase their growing expertise in the digital realm. The four day global technology event, which opened in Riyadh on Monday, is expected to bring together more than 1,800 technology companies, 600 startups, 1,900 investors and over 1,000 speakers as Saudi Arabia continues pouring investment into technology and innovation under its Vision 2030 economic transformation plan.
Pakistan has a dedicated pavilion at the event featuring 20 technology companies, organized through the Pakistan Software Export Board and the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, while other Pakistani firms and startups are attending independently. Minister Khawaja formally inaugurated the Pakistani Pavilion at LEAP 2026, attended the event’s opening ceremony and delivered a keynote address, in addition to attending a key meeting on the Pakistan Compute Consortium held on the sidelines of the summit.
During her visit, Khawaja is also scheduled to hold an important meeting with the head of the Saudi Digital Government Authority, alongside other significant engagements planned throughout her time in Riyadh. The visit continues a pattern of high level Pakistani government engagement with LEAP, building on Pakistan’s largest ever presence at the event last year, which saw more than 100 companies and over 1,500 delegates attend, according to a post event report published by PSEB. That report found Pakistan’s 2025 participation generated 9.74 million dollars in business and 78 leads for participating companies.
For individual Pakistani companies, the impact of previous LEAP participation has extended beyond immediate deal making. Khizer Ahmed Siddiqui, founding member and director of handyman services provider KAACIB, said his company’s participation last year had opened the way for it to establish a local office in Riyadh, with the business now looking to build on that presence in 2026 through additional partnerships, connections and business opportunities in Saudi Arabia. His experience reflects the kind of longer term market entry outcomes PSEB and TDAP have aimed to generate for Pakistani IT companies through the country’s continued pavilion presence at the summit.
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