Bill Gates Should Stay Away From Pakistan

Pakistan must not be tempted by the allure of global figures like Bill Gates. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's meeting with Gates at the United Nations General Assembly, regarding cooperation in agriculture and biotechnology, begs the question: why is Pakistan so keen on bringing a controversial billionaire closer to its agricultural sector?

The answer is straightforward - we cannot replace naturally grown food with bioengineered alternatives that may pose health risks. Public reaction was swift, with many questioning whether "improved seeds" and biotechnology could lead to dependence on foreign intellectual property, corporate agriculture, and technologies that farmers cannot control or afford.

This is not an irrational concern. Agriculture is not merely another software product that Pakistan can download and forget. Seeds, food production, and farming livelihoods are strategic issues, and Pakistan must be aware of who owns the technology, controls the supply chain, and ultimately benefits financially. Bill Gates has a history of questionable associations.

In 2026, he appeared before the US House Oversight Committee in connection with Jeffrey Epstein, admitting his association as a "grave error in judgment." An independent review found that Gates had around 30 meetings with Epstein and the Gates Foundation leaders between 2011 and 2014, despite Epstein's earlier convictions. This matters, and so does the fact that the association took place at all.

Microsoft's history also comes into play. Before Gates' philanthropy, Microsoft was embroiled in one of the biggest antitrust battles, found guilty of maintaining its operating-system monopoly through anticompetitive means and unlawfully tying its browser to Windows. So, when someone with such a history steps into Pakistan to talk about transforming agriculture, one might ask: Why does Pakistan continually need a billionaire to dictate its development priorities?

If Pakistan cannot build agricultural research institutions, protect farmers, develop local seed technology, and create accountable systems without involving a foreigner, then the problem lies in our dependency on such individuals. Pakistan can welcome investment, technology, and expertise from anywhere, but there must be a clear distinction between accepting help and granting outsiders influence over strategically important sectors.

Gates does not need to be Pakistan's agricultural savior; Pakistan must become capable of saving its own agriculture.