PM Shehbaz Inaugurates Google Pakistan Office After Meeting Delegation

Key Points

• On 18th August 2026, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed a nine-member Google delegation at the Prime Minister’s House in Islamabad to mark the launch of Google’s first office in Pakistan.
• The ceremony was attended by US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker and Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, who participated in the unveiling of the foundation plaque.
• PM Shehbaz termed it “a great day” and “a stepping stone” to the “long partnership” and highlighted Pakistan’s “Digital Transformation” efforts and its “Digital Nation Pakistan” vision.
• The opening of its local office was a “special moment” and a “significant milestone”, as said by Google Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy, Wilson L White, adding that Google has been committed to Pakistan for ten years.
• In the last 10 years, Google has invested more than Rs3.9 trillion in the economic activities and created over 960,000 jobs in Pakistan, White said.
• Google highlighted three areas to support Pakistan’s IT export dream of $30 billion: investment in IT human capital, IT manufacturing and export infrastructure for hardware and support of local businesses.
• The VP underlined the upskilling activities such as the training of one million Pakistanis through career certificates and cooperation with schools and teachers for preparing for the digital economy.
• He was pleased with the set-up of the Chromebook assembly line with the local partners and added that there is enormous potential to export the Pakistan-assembled Chromebooks in the region.
• Later in the week, Google will offer Google Gemini subscriptions for all Pakistani students free of cost for one year, White said.
• In November 2025, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja had announced that Google will be producing approximately 600,000 Chromebooks in Pakistan each year, starting in Haripur with the assistance of the public and private sector.

Islamabad (Britain Today News) August 18, 2026 — Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday met a nine-member Google delegation as the US tech giant formally inaugurated its local office in Pakistan, marking what officials called a landmark moment for the country’s digital economy. The ceremony, held at the Prime Minister’s House in the capital, saw the unveiling of a foundation plaque for the Google Pakistan office in the presence of US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker and Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja.

Why did PM Shehbaz call this a “stepping stone” for Pakistan’s digital future?

Speaking at the event, PM Shehbaz said there was “great scope” to deepen ties with Google “in many ways”, describing it as a “sheer coincidence” that the company’s arrival coincided with Pakistan’s “major digital transformation” across governance and the economy. He briefed the delegation on the government’s “Digital Nation Pakistan” vision, stressing the digitisation of government affairs and the broader economy as central pillars of the reform agenda.

The premier reiterated his administration’s commitment to modernising IT infrastructure and outlined ongoing programmes to train young people in information technology and artificial intelligence.

“We have a youth bulge, and we can really turn around Pakistan’s fortunes, and we are doing a lot, but a lot more is required to be done,”

He said, according to coverage of the event.

PM Shehbaz termed the day a “great day for our partnership” and a “stepping stone to a long journey” of collaboration in a field he described as “the call of the day”.

“We will empower our youth through modern tools and technology, and I am thankful to you for visiting Pakistan. I hope that today’s visit will translate into dozens of such visits every year,”

He added.

How did Google’s VP Wilson L. White frame the opening of the local office?

Google Vice President of Government Affairs and Public Policy Wilson L. White thanked the prime minister and said the company had been “investing in and committed to Pakistan for over a decade”, adding that being able to open a local office was a “special moment for us”. As reported by Dawn, White characterised his visit as a “significant milestone” and said:

“Google has been investing in and dedicated to Pakistan for more than ten years, and today marks a pivotal moment with the opening of our local office.”

White told the gathering that Pakistan’s ambition to become a $30 billion IT export hub “aligns with the goals that we have at Google”. He quantified the company’s footprint by stating that over the past 10 years,

“Google has contributed to more than Rs3.9 trillion of economic activity for local Pakistani businesses as well as households in Pakistan, contributing to over 960,000 jobs, and this is just the beginning.”

What are Google’s three pillars to support Pakistan’s $30 billion IT export goal?

Outlining how Google intended to back Pakistan’s export ambitions, White said the company was furthering the $30 billion IT export target in three ways:

“by investing in the Pakistani people, by investing in the manufacturing and infrastructure of exports of hardware and by investing in local businesses”.

He stressed that the ongoing digital transformation would only succeed “if the people were properly invested in”.

How is Google upskilling Pakistanis for the digital economy?

On human capital, White said:

“One of the things that we have been doing is upskilling Pakistanis. We have contributed to the upskilling of one million Pakistanis through career certificates and working with schools and teachers to make sure that Pakistanis are prepared for the digital economy that is on its way.”

This aligns with wider reporting that Google has expanded its digital skills initiative in Pakistan, including hundreds of thousands of Google Career Certificates aimed at AI, data analytics, cybersecurity and related fields.

What did Google say about Chromebook assembly in Haripur and export potential?

White expressed satisfaction over the Chromebook assembly line set up by Google with local partners, noting there was “huge potential” for exporting Chromebooks assembled in Pakistan to other countries in the region. This builds on earlier statements by IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, who in November 2025 said Google would manufacture approximately 600,000 Chromebooks annually in Pakistan, marking a major milestone for the technology sector.

Khawaja had revealed that Google, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence Production and the National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation, had begun Chromebook manufacturing in Haripur as a public–private partnership with a local company, a project expected to significantly boost Pakistan’s IT manufacturing industry.

When will Google make Gemini subscriptions free for Pakistani students, and what was announced?

In a move directly targeting students, White said later in the week the tech giant would announce that it would make Google Gemini subscriptions free for one year for all students in Pakistan. Regional coverage subsequently headlined the development as “Google announces long-term partnership with Pakistan, free one-year Gemini access for Pakistani students”, underscoring the policy’s significance for education and AI adoption.

Who attended the inauguration, and what roles did they play?

Alongside PM Shehbaz and the Google delegation led by Wilson L. White, the event was attended by US Chargé d’Affaires in Islamabad Natalie Baker and Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja. Baker’s presence highlighted the diplomatic dimension of the tech partnership, while Khawaja’s role connected the inauguration to the ministry’s ongoing work on IT policy, manufacturing and skills development.
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How does this event fit into Pakistan’s broader “Digital Nation Pakistan” strategy?

The inauguration dovetails with Islamabad’s push to digitise government services, expand IT exports and leverage the country’s large youth population. PM Shehbaz’s remarks on the “Digital Nation Pakistan” vision and the need to modernise IT infrastructure frame the Google office as both a symbolic and practical anchor for that strategy. The emphasis on career certificates, AI training and hardware manufacturing echoes wider policy goals to move Pakistan up the value chain in the global digital economy.

What next for Google–Pakistan ties after the office opening?

With a physical presence now established, officials on both sides pointed to an expanded agenda covering skills, manufacturing, exports and AI-enabled services. White’s reference to “dozens of such visits every year” and the planned rollout of free Gemini access for students signal an intent to deepen engagement beyond the ceremonial launch. Meanwhile, the Haripur Chromebook line and the push to export assembled hardware provide a tangible industrial base for the partnership.