PASHA Chairman Sajjad Mustafa Siddiqui has met with Ali Dar, Advisor to the Chief Minister of Punjab on Artificial Intelligence and Special Initiatives and Chief Executive of the Office of AI, to explore how Pakistan’s leading information technology industry association can collaborate with Punjab’s dedicated artificial intelligence office to mobilise the province’s technology youth, deliver structured artificial intelligence training, and improve the employability of young Pakistanis across Punjab’s diverse regions.
The meeting reflects a convergence of interests between two institutions that are approaching Pakistan’s artificial intelligence skills challenge from different angles. PASHA, as the country’s primary representative body for the information technology and IT-enabled services sector, brings an industry perspective on what skills are actually in demand from employers and what gaps exist in the current talent pipeline. The Office of AI, operating under the Chief Minister of Punjab’s office, brings government reach, policy influence, and the institutional weight to deploy programmes at scale across one of Pakistan’s most populous provinces. A collaboration between the two could translate artificial intelligence training from a narrowly targeted initiative into a province-wide effort capable of reaching communities and individuals who would otherwise remain outside the formal technology skills ecosystem.
The focus of the discussion on mobilising tech youth and enhancing skill levels to improve employability points to a practical agenda rather than a conceptual one. Pakistan’s artificial intelligence adoption survey data has shown that only 15 percent of Pakistanis have used artificial intelligence tools, with the gap between urban educated users and the broader population remaining wide. Closing that gap requires not just awareness but structured, accessible, and employment-linked training that gives young people a credible pathway from learning to earning. PASHA’s industry connections and understanding of employer requirements, combined with the Office of AI’s provincial implementation capacity, make the potential collaboration relevant to that specific gap.
The meeting between Siddiqui and Dar follows a pattern of increasing engagement between Pakistan’s information technology industry associations and provincial government bodies on artificial intelligence policy and skills, a trend that reflects the growing recognition that artificial intelligence workforce development cannot be left to the private sector or the federal government alone, and that provincial institutions with direct reach into communities, schools, and job markets need to be active participants in building the country’s artificial intelligence talent base.
Follow the SPIN IDG WhatsApp Channel for updates across the Smart Pakistan Insights Network covering all of Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.
