Pakistan is positioning Huawei’s Global Service Centre in Islamabad as an example of how the country can deliver technology and IT-enabled services to international markets while creating opportunities for local professionals. Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja visited the centre and met Pakistani engineers and technology professionals working on global ICT operations. During the visit, the minister highlighted the role of digitally delivered services in generating export earnings without the physical movement of goods, describing the model as “exports without shipping containers.” The Global Service Centre provides remote technical support, network operations, service assurance and other advanced ICT services to international customers, allowing Pakistani professionals to contribute to global technology operations while remaining based in the country.
During her visit, Shaza Fatima highlighted Pakistan’s young population as an important source of potential technology talent. She noted that around 68 percent of the country’s population is under the age of 30 and said the focus should be on developing this demographic base into skilled human capital capable of participating in international technology markets. The minister also referred to Huawei’s commitment to train 300,000 young Pakistanis in ICT skills under a training partnership agreed during the Prime Minister’s visit to China. She called for closer cooperation between government, technology companies and educational institutions to develop a sustainable talent pipeline and connect young professionals with international opportunities. The minister also encouraged Huawei to expand investment, knowledge transfer and mentoring opportunities in Pakistan and explore the possibility of establishing a research and development centre in the country.
The visit also focused on the participation of women in Pakistan’s technology sector. Shaza Fatima met women engineers working at the Global Service Centre and highlighted their contribution to the country’s digital economy, while stressing the importance of creating more opportunities for women in technology. Huawei Pakistan CEO Ethan Sun said the company would continue contributing to Pakistan’s digital development by building local technical expertise and creating opportunities for Pakistani professionals to participate in global digital operations. The company’s Islamabad centre provides a platform where engineers and other technical specialists can work on international ICT requirements, including network operations and service assurance. The model therefore links local technical talent with international technology operations without requiring professionals to relocate outside Pakistan.
The development comes alongside other Huawei investments in Pakistan’s technical and telecom capabilities. Earlier this month, Huawei inaugurated a national-level Spare Parts Repair Center in Islamabad, with the facility designed to support local repair, testing, troubleshooting and maintenance of telecom equipment deployed across the country. According to the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, the centre has 16 specialised repair desks covering more than 180 equipment item codes across wireless, microwave, digital power and access-network technologies. It is staffed by local hardware specialists and is designed to process more than 10,000 modules annually. Together with the Global Service Centre, these initiatives illustrate the different areas in which Huawei is developing local technical capacity, from international ICT service delivery to telecom equipment maintenance. For Pakistan, the government is linking such initiatives with its wider objective of developing technology skills, increasing IT-enabled exports and creating more opportunities for Pakistani professionals in global digital markets.
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