PM Shehbaz to Meet Apple CEO in US

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to meet with Apple CEO John Ternus in the United States to explore the possibility of Apple establishing manufacturing or assembly operations in Pakistan. The meeting is anticipated to take place during Shehbaz's visit to Washington for a series of high-profile meetings in the coming months. This news was shared by EDB CEO during a briefing at the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication.

Currently, Pakistan has 37 companies involved in mobile phone manufacturing, with over 35 million units produced so far. However, Apple is the only major smartphone company that has not established a manufacturing presence in the country. The EDB CEO believes that the upcoming meeting between Shehbaz and Ternus in the US could be a significant step towards attracting Apple to Pakistan.

The committee chairman expressed support for expanding local mobile phone manufacturing, emphasizing the need for affordable and high-quality domestically produced devices. He also advocated for increased focus on 4G and 5G technologies over the outdated 3G system.