Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged all stakeholders across Pakistan to become part of a unified national innovation ecosystem, stressing the need to develop indigenous knowledge and technological capabilities in the country. Addressing the inaugural ceremony of the Indus RAS Robotics and Autonomous Systems Expo 2026, the prime minister said Pakistan must embrace the technological revolution while ensuring its benefits reach every segment of society, calling on universities, research and development centers, startups, industries, and farmers to become part of one national innovation ecosystem where the knowledge behind these technologies remains indigenous, owned, and continuously advanced within the country.
The prime minister emphasized that the robotics and autonomous systems revolution should not remain confined to advanced economies, large corporations, or major cities, and said it should instead become a catalyst for inclusive growth by improving the lives of farmers, small businesses, women entrepreneurs, young innovators, and underserved communities across Pakistan and the wider Global South. He noted that as emerging technologies grow more powerful, governments and stakeholders carry a greater responsibility to establish clear regulatory and ethical frameworks that ensure autonomous systems remain safe, secure, transparent, and beneficial to society.
During the ceremony, the prime minister announced two initiatives intended to shape the future of robotics and autonomous systems in Pakistan, including the Spark and Elevate programme aimed at transforming the country’s research output into globally competitive enterprises and high productivity jobs, along with the establishment of the Pakistan Venture Fund with an initial commitment of $20 million to catalyze investment in the country’s technology ecosystem. He also pointed to progress in indigenous defense technology, noting that Pakistan’s armed forces have adopted autonomous systems including simulators fully manufactured and assembled domestically, alongside drones that have achieved more than 60 percent indigenization.
Speaking at the same event, Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja said countries that lead in emerging technologies will define the future economy, adding that Pakistan intends to own full value chains of robotics and artificial intelligence as part of a deliberate national decision toward technological self reliance. She said the government’s Digital Nation Pakistan direction treats technology as an engine of productivity, employment, and national competitiveness, citing information technology exports that grew by nearly 21 percent this year alongside gains of 14 places in the E-Governance Development Index and 27 places in the International Telecommunication Union’s ICT Development Index. The Indus RAS Expo followed the earlier Indus AI Summit held in Pakistan this year, which brought together governments, technology leaders, researchers, and entrepreneurs to shape the country’s approach to artificial intelligence.
Follow the SPIN IDG WhatsApp Channel for updates across the Smart Pakistan Insights Network covering all of Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.
