The Ministry of IT and Telecommunication has summarized a week of activity between September 21 and 25, spanning continued coordination on the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme, direct citizen engagement, and a series of meetings and inaugurations touching on AI policy, disaster management, and international partnerships. The ministry described the week as one of continued progress toward a more connected and digitally enabled Pakistan, covering eight distinct activities across the five day period.
Among the week’s engagements, the National Implementation Team responsible for the Prime Minister’s Fuel Relief Scheme held daily meetings, reflecting the sustained coordination required to run a nationwide digital relief programme that has already registered more than a million citizens. The ministry also carried out citizen engagement and media outreach activities during the week, alongside a ribbon cutting ceremony for the USEFP Innovation Hive, though further details on the scope of that facility were not included in the ministry’s summary. Separately, MoITT held a meeting with the Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority and a meeting focused specifically on Pakistan’s National AI Initiative, both pointing to continued institutional coordination on disaster preparedness and the country’s broader AI policy direction.
A more substantial development during the week was the inauguration of Huawei’s national level Spare Parts Repair Centre in Islamabad, which Federal Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja opened on September 24 alongside Huawei Pakistan CEO Ethan Sun. The centre spans approximately 250 square metres and contains 16 specialised repair desks, with Huawei stating it can handle more than 180 equipment item codes covering wireless, microwave, digital power and access network technologies. Its capabilities include servicing BBU modules, RRUs and RFUs used in wireless networks, along with XMC-2 and XMC-3 ODU modules for microwave systems and AC/DC digital power equipment. Huawei estimates the centre can process more than 10,000 modules annually, with over 6,000 repaired components expected to return to service each year. Khawaja said the facility would build local repair capacity, reduce reliance on overseas services, and had already contributed to savings of one million dollars in foreign exchange, describing it as the first facility of its kind in Pakistan for telecom hardware equipment.
The week also included two international engagements: a meeting with a World Bank delegation focused on Pakistan’s digital transformation agenda under the Digital Economy Enhancement Project, and a meeting with a parliamentary delegation from the Maldives People’s Majlis to discuss cooperation in IT, AI, cybersecurity, digital public infrastructure and fintech. Taken together, the week’s activities reflect MoITT’s parallel focus on domestic programme delivery, such as the Fuel Relief Scheme coordination, alongside infrastructure investment through Huawei’s repair centre and continued international engagement on digital cooperation with institutions and governments beyond Pakistan.
Follow the SPIN IDG WhatsApp Channel for updates across the Smart Pakistan Insights Network covering all of Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.
