Pakistan and Russia have taken a fresh step towards technology cooperation, bringing their IT industries together at a collaboration webinar in Islamabad on November 5, 2026, with the aim of turning dialogue into business contracts.
What happened?
The Pakistan-Russia IT Collaboration Webinar, the third in the Pakistan-Russia Webinar Series, was organised by the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), under the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication, in collaboration with the University of World Civilizations Moscow. Held at the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives in Islamabad, with Russian participants joining from Moscow, the session focused on building technology partnerships, market access and joint solutions.
Key details
- Discussions covered six areas: AI and cloud computing; cybersecurity and critical infrastructure protection; digital governance and digital public infrastructure; IT and IT-enabled services trade, investment and business-to-business cooperation; digital skills and workforce exchange; and quantum computing.
- Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal said technology had emerged as a key driver of Pakistan’s economic transformation. He said that under URAAN Pakistan, the national economic transformation plan, E-Pakistan is one of five strategic pillars, with the ambition of building a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2035.
- The minister highlighted Pakistan’s growing IT talent pool, with more than 75,000 IT graduates every year, a target of developing one million AI professionals by 2030, and the establishment of seven new AI centres.
- Pakistan’s IT and telecom exports reached a record USD 4.6 billion in FY2025-26, growth of around 20 percent over the previous year.
- Bella Cherkesova, Deputy Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation, delivered the keynote address from the Russian side.
- PSEB CEO Faisal Jeddy set out a path from first contact to first contract: define the opportunity, match the right companies, agree a pilot, and assign named focal persons on both sides.
What it means for people in Pakistan
For Pakistani IT companies, freelancers and startups, the initiative could open a new market in Russia for software services, cybersecurity and AI work, and bring joint projects and investment. For students and young professionals, the focus on digital skills and AI training points to more opportunities in the technology sector, though the benefits will depend on the pilot projects turning into real contracts.
Source: TechJuice
