Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja announced that Pakistan is developing a national digital stack aimed at expanding digital services and creating new opportunities for the country’s young population, delivering a keynote address titled How We Built a Digital Nation at LEAP 2026 in Riyadh. While formally inaugurating the Tech Destination Pakistan Pavilion at the conference, Khawaja said Pakistan’s digital transformation is being driven by new legislation, improved connectivity and increased investment in the technology sector.
Khawaja highlighted the Digital Nation Pakistan Act, which established the National Digital Commission and Pakistan Digital Authority to oversee the country’s digital transformation agenda, describing this legislative foundation as the anchor for Pakistan’s broader digital progress. She also pointed to the upcoming 5G spectrum auction, special technology zones and tax measures for the IT sector as key initiatives aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s technology ecosystem, noting that Pakistan’s young workforce and private sector would play a central role in developing new digital products and services on top of the infrastructure being established by the government. She stressed the importance of strong institutions and measurable targets to ensure that digital transformation initiatives produce tangible results rather than remaining confined to policy documents.
Closing her address, Khawaja pledged to share Pakistan’s national digital stack with other developing nations once complete, saying no nation can go it alone, and that nations which join together go further. She said the stack is built on open source, and that once finished, Pakistan will share it free with every frontier and emerging nation that wants it, describing the approach explicitly as shared rather than sold. She added that Pakistan believes this century belongs to emerging nations, ones that will use digital tools not merely to modernize, but to create wealth and control their own destiny, concluding with a call for collective progress: let’s live together, let’s grow together, and let’s win together.
The Tech Destination Pakistan Pavilion at LEAP 2026 features 25 startups and 50 Pakistani technology companies showcasing solutions in artificial intelligence, automation and other digital technologies. Pakistan’s participation at LEAP 2026 is focused on attracting foreign investment, building international business partnerships and helping Pakistani technology companies access global markets, with Khawaja also emphasizing plans to expand cooperation with Saudi Arabia in digital technology, innovation and skills development during her broader visit to the summit.
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