PM Shehbaz inaugurates Google Pakistan office

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated Google Pakistan's office in Islamabad, expressing enthusiasm for a strong partnership with the tech giant. "Google is a household name not only in Pakistan but around the globe," he stated during a meeting with Wilson L White, the Vice President of Global Affairs at Google. US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker attended the inauguration.

The prime minister noted that Google's arrival coincided with Pakistan's significant digital transformation across various governance sectors. "We have a youth bulge and we can really turn around Pakistan's fortune," he added.

Wilson L White, Google's Vice President, emphasized the milestone nature of opening an office in Pakistan. He stated, "We can't tell you how excited we are for this combination of a very long time coming. Google has been investing in and is committed to Pakistan for over a decade." He highlighted that Google's investment has contributed to over Rs3.9 trillion of economic activity for local businesses and households and has created more than 960,000 jobs over the past ten years.

Looking ahead, Google is committed to helping Pakistan achieve its $30bn IT export goal. White explained that the company's investment will focus on three key areas: investing in Pakistani people, manufacturing, and infrastructure for hardware export. He noted that Google has already upskilled over one million Pakistanis, with plans to make Google Gemini free for students for one year. The manufacturing of Google Chromebooks is expected to commence in Haripur in November 2025.