Pakistan’s Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunications (MoITT) met Turkey’s ambassador to discuss expanding collaboration in IT, telecoms, and digital transformation. The meeting, held in Islamabad, included Pakistan’s IT Secretary Zarrar Hasham Khan and Special IT Secretary Azfar Manzoor, according to a press release from the government of Pakistan.

Turkey’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Irfan Nezioğlu, underscored the strong relationship between the two nations, recalling Pakistan’s support following Turkey’s 2023 earthquake. He also announced that Turkey’s president is scheduled to visit Pakistan in the week starting February 10 2025. The ambassador highlighted Turkey’s progress in digital transformation, including its 67mn e-state users, 8,000 digital services, and advances in AI and 5G.

He stressed the need to harness Pakistan’s young talent for technological progress, citing common interests between the two countries in IT and telecom. Pakistan’s Minister of State for IT and Telecom, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening technology partnerships and noted that the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) is working on global collaborations. She praised Turkey’s e-governance advancements and pointed to Pakistan’s Digital Nation Pakistan Bill, which aims to boost economic growth through e-governance and digital identity initiatives.

She also encouraged business-to-business cooperation between Pakistan’s National Information Technology Board (NITB) and Turkey’s TurkSat, advocating a skills-based approach over traditional degrees in the digital economy. The Turkish envoy proposed appointing focal persons from both sides to establish a roadmap for 2025 IT cooperation, calling for direct ministerial and industry engagements beyond formal visits. Both countries agreed to expand their collaboration in IT, 5G, AI, and digital transformation, further strengthening their technological partnership in the digital age.