At the GSMA Digital Nation Summit in Islamabad, Jazz executives Aamir Ibrahim, CEO of Jazz and Chairman of Mobilink Bank, along with Kazim Mujtaba, President of the Consumer Division, presented a unified roadmap aimed at propelling Pakistan into a more digitally inclusive future. Their message was centered on building local capabilities in artificial intelligence, closing the digital access gap, and reducing dependency on cash to establish a modern, tech-driven economy.
Aamir Ibrahim emphasized the need for urgent policy shifts, highlighting the barriers to large-scale digital adoption across the country. He called for regulatory changes that would allow for broader and more equitable access to smartphones, affordable connectivity, and fair spectrum distribution. “Connectivity must be a right, not a privilege—regardless of location, income, or gender,” he stated, urging stakeholders to rethink digital inclusion as a matter of national necessity.
He showcased the collaborative effort between Jazz, NUST, and NITB in developing Pakistan’s first indigenous Large Language Model (LLM), trained on 1.8 billion words and over 600,000 local documents. Designed to function in local languages, the LLM is positioned as a foundational AI infrastructure that could serve sectors ranging from education to public services. “Pakistan can’t afford to be a passive consumer of AI—it must be a creator,” Aamir said, underlining the importance of investing in domestic technological innovation.
On the subject of financial inclusion, Aamir underscored that the true obstacle to digital financial adoption is not market competition but the dominance of cash. “The battle is collective—and it’s against cash,” he said, calling for mandatory digital payment acceptance at retail outlets to accelerate cashless adoption. He highlighted that JazzCash currently facilitates 12 million transactions daily, reflecting growing public trust in digital payments. He further stressed the need for consumer protection frameworks and feedback systems to maintain and build on this trust.
Kazim Mujtaba focused on addressing the digital usage gap, particularly among women and rural populations. He stated that for many underserved users, owning a smartphone is the critical first step to entering the digital economy. He introduced key initiatives such as Jazz’s ApnaClinic, an AI-powered health platform that connects users to 30,000 doctors across 150 cities, and FikrFree, a mobile insurance service tailored to meet the needs of those traditionally excluded from insurance coverage. These platforms, according to Kazim, are designed to deliver healthcare, insurance, and essential services to populations often left behind in the digital shift.
Both executives reiterated the importance of coordinated efforts between private sector players and government institutions. They called for public policies that prioritize user-centric solutions and equitable access to digital infrastructure. Kazim concluded with a clear message: “Inclusion is not a feature—it’s the foundation,” emphasizing that technology must serve as a tool for universal empowerment rather than a service reserved for the connected few.
