By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Alphabet Inc.’s Google formalized its presence in Pakistan on Tuesday, opening a local office in Islamabad after more than a decade of investment in the country, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif courts technology firms to help meet an ambitious export target.
Wilson L. White, Google’s vice president for global affairs, met Sharif at the Prime Minister’s House to mark the launch, according to state broadcaster PTV. The two jointly inaugurated the office, which White called a “stepping stone” toward a longer-term partnership between the company and the South Asian nation.
The opening caps a process that began taking shape publicly in November, when Pakistan’s IT minister, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, said Google had completed its local registration and would soon set up operations, alongside the start of Chromebook manufacturing in the city of Haripur.
Sharif, addressing the delegation, said Pakistan’s demographic profile — with a large share of young people entering the workforce — positioned the country to benefit from an accelerating digital transformation. He pointed to opportunities across government services and the broader economy, framing Google’s entry as timely rather than incidental.
“We are doing a lot, and a lot more needs to be done,” Sharif said, adding that he saw “great scope” for expanding cooperation with the company across multiple sectors.
White, in his remarks, said Google’s decision to establish a physical office reflected a commitment that predates Tuesday’s announcement by more than ten years. He linked the move directly to Sharif’s stated goal of building Pakistan into a $30 billion information-technology export hub, saying the company’s strategy would rest on three pillars: workforce development, investment in hardware manufacturing and export infrastructure, and support for local businesses.
On the first of those pillars, White said Google has trained more than one million people in Pakistan through skills programs to date, and announced the company would offer free access to its Gemini artificial-intelligence tool for students for one year. He argued that Pakistan’s broader digital shift would depend on sustained investment in local talent alongside infrastructure.
White also cited the scale of Google’s economic footprint in the country over the past decade, saying the company’s activities have contributed to roughly 3.9 trillion rupees in economic output and supported more than 960,000 jobs among Pakistani businesses and households — a base he described as a starting point rather than a ceiling for future growth.
U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker also attended the meeting, underscoring diplomatic interest in the tie-up between the American technology company and the Pakistani government.
The office opening follows years of Google engagement in Pakistan through partnerships and programs, but marks the company’s first formal on-the-ground presence in the country. It comes as Islamabad seeks to position its technology sector as a larger contributor to export earnings, an area officials have identified as central to broader economic diversification plans.
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