Google Officially Opens Pakistan Office
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
Google has officially opened its Pakistan office in Islamabad to expand the technology company’s local presence after more than a decade of investment and engagement in the country.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated the office on Tuesday during a meeting with Google Vice President for Global Affairs Wilson L. White. US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker also attended the meeting.
The prime minister said Google’s presence comes as Pakistan accelerates its digital transformation and could open opportunities for cooperation in technology, governance, and the digital economy.
Shehbaz highlighted Pakistan’s young population and said the country’s growing workforce could play an important role in improving its economic prospects.
White described the opening of the office as a major milestone for Google in Pakistan. He said the company’s objectives are aligned with the government’s goal of developing Pakistan into a $30 billion IT export hub.
According to White, Google’s activities in Pakistan have generated more than Rs. 3.9 trillion in economic activity for businesses and households over the past decade and supported more than 960,000 jobs.
He said Google would support Pakistan’s IT export ambitions through investment in digital skills, hardware manufacturing, and local businesses.
Google has already awarded 350,000 Career Certificate scholarships** in Pakistan since 2022. The company said more than 80% of graduates reported securing a new job or growing their business within six months of completing the program.
Google’s developer programs have reached 300,000 developers, while its AI Seekho program has trained 50,000 developers in generative AI and Google Cloud technologies.
The company has also worked with 120 Pakistani gaming and app studios through its Think Apps and App Design Masterclasses programs.
Google, Tech Valley, Allied, and the National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation have also launched a local Chromebook assembly line with a planned production capacity of 500,000 devices.
Separately, Google’s Digital Safar initiative has trained more than 300,000 students and 5,000 educators in digital safety and citizenship.
Google said its various initiatives have provided digital skills training to more than 1 million teachers, students, developers, and creators in Pakistan.
Google Gemini Free for Pakistani Students
White also announced that Google Gemini will be available free of charge to Pakistani students for one year.
He said developing Pakistan’s digital workforce is essential to the country’s broader digital transformation and highlighted Google’s existing efforts to train people in digital and AI-related skills.
With the Islamabad office now operational, Google will continue working with the Pakistani government and local technology ecosystem on digital skills, AI, hardware manufacturing, developers, and IT exports.
Reference Link:- https://propakistani.pk/2026/08/18/google-officially-opens-pakistan-office/
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
