PM inaugurates Google office in Islamabad

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was present to inaugurate Google's first ever office in Pakistan, which opened in Islamabad on Tuesday. The event also included Google's global head of public policy David Wellar and the US Charge de Affaires for Pakistan Natalie Baker. The Prime Minster spoke warmly at the event about the importance of the project as part of a government strategy to drive investments in Paksitan's IT sector and push IT related exports in areas like Apps, Games, Software and Media, to USD 30 billion by 2030. 

In their comments during the opening both Sharif and Wellar noted that Pakistan's growing base of educated young people provided a powerful springboard to achieve this goal, with the PM noting that being able to open a local office was a "special moment" for the US based technology giant. 

Later Wellar and the Google team met members of the Interior Ministry where cybersecurity and the need for specialsocial media monitoring in Pakistan was discussed, as part of the government's concerns around curbing extremism and preventing online radicalisation. In a meeting with Wellar, Minister of state for Interior Talal Chauhdry noted that “Given Pakistan’s circumstances, proactive monitoring of social media is indispensable.” He added that "“Pakistan wants to further increase cooperation and coordination with Google for a safe and peaceful digital environment,” Wellar agreed with this statement.

The development comes as Google and its parent company Alphabet face increasing global criticism for their connections with the Israeli military and the potential use of AI tools in targeting civilians and civilian infrastrcuture during the genocide in Occupied Palestine. Pakistan's international profile has also surged following mediation efforts during the ongoing instability in the Persian Gulf and it is widely being seen as an alternative investment hub for companies that are loking to expand operations beyond the Gulf State region.