Pakistan Freelancers Association (PAFLA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Center for Global IT Cooperation in Moscow, which has been described as a new milestone for the association. The agreement was signed by Dr. Imran Batada, who signed in his capacity as President of PAFLA, during the Global Digital Forum held in Moscow. Dr. Batada shared the news in a post on his professional page, and he thanked the team of PAFLA and everyone who made the agreement possible. He described the signing as the beginning of a longer process of cooperation, which places the memorandum at the start of work that the two organizations plan to carry out together.
The Center for Global IT Cooperation is the team behind the State Digital Sovereignty Development Index 2026, which covers 117 countries. The index looks at the progress of countries in digital development, so the partner of PAFLA in this agreement is an organization that works with data and analysis across a large group of states. By signing the memorandum with such a body, the freelancers association gains a link with an institution that studies digital development at a global level, and the arrangement gives the association a route for connecting its work with international research.
According to Dr. Batada, the partnership opens the door to joint research on digital development, knowledge sharing and capacity building for freelancers and IT professionals in Pakistan. It is also expected to lead to closer collaboration between Pakistan and Russia in information technology (IT). These areas cover both the exchange of information and the training of people who work in the digital sector, which means the agreement is aimed at the skills of freelancers and IT professionals as well as at research. The memorandum does not set out specific programmes in the post, but it lists these three areas as the basis for cooperation.
During the forum, Dr. Batada also spoke with IT Russia about digital security, artificial intelligence (AI) and the opportunities that these fields create for young people. He said he looks forward to bringing these opportunities home to the community in Pakistan. His post acknowledged Ibrahim Amin and the team of PAFLA, and it was shared with hashtags that include PAFLA, MoU, Freelancing, Pakistan, Russia and GlobalDigitalForum. With the memorandum now signed, PAFLA has a formal basis for working with the Center for Global IT Cooperation on research, knowledge sharing and capacity building for its members.
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