AGP Executive Report

Industrial Digitisation: The FBR has cleared vendors to install electronic production-monitoring systems in five more sectors, including leather, paper, packaged tea, electronics and edible oil. Air-Pollution Research: LUMS has launched a centre to measure pollution sources across Punjab, with a multi-year study and a chemical-analysis lab. Digital Infrastructure: PM Shehbaz has ordered a review and third-party audit of Islamabad’s Danish IT Park, following its inauguration. AI Misuse: Police allege a suspect used ChatGPT to impersonate people while defrauding student Laiba Ijaz with fake US visa and university promises. Connectivity and Energy: Zong has launched 5G home broadband, while Sigenergy unveiled an all-in-one smart energy system in Pakistan.

AI and Digital Skills: Peshawar entrepreneur Abdullah Rashid is helping global businesses verify information extracted from complex documents. A Zong-backed programme also aims to train 10,000 students in AI and problem-solving, with young women making up 60% of participants. Health Technology and Access: Pakistani researchers report locally made diabetes medicines delivered results comparable to multinational brands at about a quarter of the cost. Meanwhile, doctors say treatment costs drive roughly one in four JPMC cancer patients to abandon care. Digital Infrastructure: Islamabad’s newly inaugurated Danish IT Park is intended to support tech-led growth, though its management is still to be decided. Water and Climate: KP is restoring Badri Pond to increase water storage, recharge groundwater and reduce erosion, with check dams and repairs to natural waterways planned.

Women in Tech: Women Tech Quest drew 1,000 participants in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, with challenges using AI for coding, design and software testing. Digital Infrastructure: The newly named Daanish IT Park has opened in Islamabad, bringing startups, incubators and industry under one roof; the government plans similar facilities nationwide and says the park’s operator will be selected through transparent bidding. Clean Air and Water: Punjab’s 15 river-monitoring stations send pollution readings to a central control room every hour, but the data is not publicly available. LUMS has also launched a centre to study air pollution and its effects, including in schools. Science: Researchers identified a new lungfish species from a fossil collected in northern Pakistan, dating back about 360 million years. High-resolution CT scans helped reveal its features without removing it from the rock. Energy Research: Pakistani and Chinese universities have signed an agreement to advance energy education and research.

Digital Infrastructure: Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated Islamabad’s first national technology park, renamed Daanish IT Park, bringing startups, SMEs, researchers and IT firms under one roof. The government plans similar parks nationwide and will invite bids to operate the facility. Women in Tech: Women Tech Quest drew 1,000 participants in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, with challenges using AI for coding, design and software testing. Clean-Energy Skills: Punjab University signed an MoU with China’s Weifang University and an industry association to develop training, research and possible degree programmes in solar power, batteries, storage and electric mobility. Solar Storage: More than 350 companies from 15 countries gathered at Solar Pakistan in Karachi, where battery systems drew interest amid rising demand for solar-plus-storage. Online Child Safety: A UNICEF, ECPAT and INTERPOL study estimates about 1.5 million Pakistani internet users aged 12–17 experienced technology-facilitated sexual abuse or exploitation in the past year; more than half told no one, and none sought formal help.

Technology Park: PM Shehbaz inaugurated Islamabad’s National Technology Park, promising skills and opportunities for young people, especially women. A private operator will be selected through bidding, making access and services key tests of the project. Airport Tech: The prime minister ordered smart baggage scanners at international airports to replace manual checks and reduce unnecessary questioning of passengers. Telecom Rules: PTA has proposed identity checks for foreign roaming SIMs and eSIMs, with a 90-day limit before connections may be treated as permanent roaming and blocked. The rules are still a draft. EV Charging: BYD is discussing ultra-fast charging with local partner Mega Motor Company, but rollout depends on infrastructure readiness and future vehicle plans. 5G Access: Zong has launched Pakistan’s first 5G fixed wireless home broadband service, adding a new option for household connectivity.

Digital Public Services: More than 10 million people have benefited from the fuel-relief scheme, and IT Minister Shaza Fatima is set to receive the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz for its digital rollout. Clean Energy: Solar Pakistan 2026 opened in Karachi, bringing together more than 350 companies from 15 countries to showcase solar, storage and smart-grid technologies. Tech Skills: Ignite awarded a Rs971.5 million contract to train and certify 2,500 SAP learners, with payments tied to certification and job-placement targets. Connectivity: Zong has launched a 5G fixed-wireless home broadband service in Pakistan. EV Charging: BYD is in talks to bring ultra-fast charging technology to the country.

EV Charging: BYD is discussing ultra-fast charging in Pakistan as its local vehicle plant nears launch; a rollout will depend on infrastructure and product plans. 5G Broadband: Zong has launched its 5G fixed-wireless home service, adding a new option for household internet. Solar Research: A Pakistan-UK study finds rooftop solar is splitting into two paths: metered systems cluster in better-served areas, while off-grid uptake grows where power supply is unreliable. Digital Services: Pakistan plans to digitise tourism services under an agreement with the National Information Technology Board. AI in Healthcare: Pakistani startup KangarooCare is using AI to support neonatal care, while officials have also discussed AI-based cancer care. Medicine Tracking: A pharmaceutical track-and-trace system using unique codes for individual medicine packs aims to improve supply-chain visibility and patient safety.

Medicine Traceability: Pakistan’s pharmaceutical sector is preparing to use unique serial numbers and 2-D barcodes to track medicines from factory to patient. DRAP-backed training highlighted the coordination needed across manufacturers and distributors. Electric Vehicles: BYD is discussing ultra-fast charging with local partner Mega Motor Company. A rollout will depend on infrastructure readiness; the company says its Pakistan plant is nearing launch in the second half of 2026. 5G Broadband: Zong has launched Z HomeFi, billed as Pakistan’s first 5G fixed-wireless home broadband service. Digital Government: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed ministries to digitise data for a central national data centre, intended to support public services and reduce mismanagement. Digital Health: Balochistan’s health data reforms drew attention at an international conference in Colombo, where the province’s health minister represented Pakistan. AI and Digital Sector: Pakistani organisations won 11 categories at the ASOCIO Digital and AI Awards in Jakarta.

Disaster Preparedness: On National Resilience Day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan is using data analytics, satellite tools and early-warning systems to anticipate disasters and protect vulnerable communities. Agri-Fintech: KissanPay, a Sharia-compliant platform launched by Kissan Gudam and BankIslami, has issued its first farmer financing, using stored crops to help unlock credit. 5G Broadband: Zong has launched Z HomeFi, billed as Pakistan’s first 5G fixed-wireless home broadband service. AI and Digital Innovation: Pakistani companies won 11 categories at the ASOCIO Digital and AI Awards in Jakarta, showcasing the country’s growing tech sector. Digital Payments: Retail transactions reached 14.3 billion in FY26, reflecting the rapid shift toward electronic payments.

Digital Economy: The FBR has set a benchmark of Rs195 per 1,000 YouTube views for taxing monetised creator content. Creators can deduct up to 30% of revenue as expenses; non-monetised views are excluded. Telecom: Pakistan is proposing tougher competition rules, including national roaming obligations for dominant operators. Climate Tech: President Asif Ali Zardari says satellite technology, predictive modelling, data and AI should help Pakistan anticipate disasters and strengthen early warnings. Investment: Chinese investors have explored projects in Karachi and Sindh, including a desalination plant and modern firefighting systems. AI and Innovation: Pakistani organisations won honours in 11 categories at the ASOCIO Digital and AI Awards in Jakarta. Electric Vehicles: A draft auto policy proposes one-time EV imports and possible duty cuts to make vehicles more affordable.

Telecom Competition: Pakistan is proposing stronger regulatory powers, including national-roaming orders for dominant operators, to expand coverage and protect consumers as 5G approaches. Power & Storage: Proposed reforms aim to address solar-driven changes in demand and encourage battery storage, private investment and a more predictable market. Digital Finance: Retail payments hit 14.3 billion transactions in FY26; the SBP’s image-based cheque-clearing pilot starts October 15, with nationwide rollout targeted for April 2027. Research & Skills: The University of Gujrat rose to seventh nationally in the Times Higher Education 2027 rankings, with engineering and life sciences entering global subject bands. A new IT hub in Zhob aims to expand digital skills and job opportunities in Balochistan. Space: World Space Week’s “Rocket Revolution” theme spotlights reusable launch systems, while Pakistan’s first lunar rover, Jinnah-1, is planned to land in 2028.

Digital Payments & Banking Modernisation: SBP says FY26 retail payments surged, with 14.3bn transactions worth PKR 673tn, and digital channels now drive most formal payments; SBP also plans an electronic cheque clearing pilot (PECS) starting Oct 15, aiming for nationwide coverage by April 2027. AI & Exports: Pakistan’s pavilion opened at AI Everything Global 2026 in Abu Dhabi, with five firms showcasing AI solutions and holding investor meetings under the Pakistan Software Export Board. Health System Watch: PIMS may face a free-medicines shortage due to procurement delays and tender sign-offs, as hospital sources warn stocks are already declining. Local Tech & Industry: A high-tech automatic beeswax foundation sheet unit was inaugurated at NARC to modernise beekeeping and improve access to quality inputs. Markets & Policy Signals: PSX trading saw cautious early movement amid IMF-related tax updates, while pharma listed firms reported FY26 profit growth of 28% to Rs42.2bn. Security & Governance: UN chief Guterres visited Pakistan’s disaster operations centre, highlighting a shift to tech-driven early warnings using AI/IoT.

Missile Testing: Pakistan’s ISPR says the country successfully test-fired an extended-range version of the indigenously developed Fatah-4 ground-launched cruise missile, validating upgraded avionics, navigation aids, and additional subsystems aimed at higher precision and survivability. AI & Tech Exports: Pakistan showcased AI and technology products at Abu Dhabi’s AI Everything Global 2026 via a Pakistan Software Export Board pavilion, with five firms presenting AI/data intelligence, monitoring and sales solutions; officials also cite a 42% jump in IT exports to the UAE to $536m in FY2025-26. Digital Payments Oversight: JazzCash reportedly shut down 100+ aggregator accounts after FIA directives, following wider scrutiny of payment channels tied to suspected illegal financial activity. Politics & Protests: PM Shehbaz urged PTI to end planned protests and return to dialogue, warning that renewed street action could hurt exports, manufacturing and imports. Environment & Food Tech: Pakistan inaugurated its first high-tech automatic beeswax foundation sheet manufacturing unit at NARC to modernize beekeeping and improve access to quality inputs for honey production. Wildlife Conservation: A new protected “lifeline” area is being created for endangered Indus River dolphins, as freshwater ecosystems face mounting pressure.

Markets & Finance: PSX sees buying return; KSE-100 rises 600+ points in early trade after Monday’s sell-off tied to political uncertainty and higher crude. Higher Education: Pakistan again misses the global top 400 in THE World University Rankings 2027, with the best local university in the 551–600 band. AI & Digital Trust: OpenAI plans invisible watermarks for ChatGPT/Codex text in the EU, while macOS 27 users face storage pressure from Apple Intelligence models and a new tool claims to remove them. Health & Research: A new review highlights how bacterial defenses shape phage therapy success against drug-resistant infections. Tech & Telecom: Pakistan and Sri Lanka move to expand IT and telecom cooperation; Zohaib Khan becomes the first Pakistani vice-chairman of ASOCIO. Payments Modernisation: SBP launches PECS, an image-based cheque clearing system starting Oct 15. Energy & Climate Tech: Dawlance shifts fridge/freezer insulation to cyclopentane with UNIDO/ozone support; solar imports show batteries catching up fast. Local Tech/Industry: Punjab’s AI education push and teacher training get spotlight on World Teachers’ Day; Lahore’s LDA urban upgrades progress with underground parking plazas nearing completion.

Cybersecurity & AI: Pakistan’s National CERT warned organizations about careless use of generative AI, saying “shadow AI” and unauthorized tools can leak sensitive data, source code and credentials, while threats like prompt injection also rise. Digital Payments: Easypaisa-linked transactions reportedly faced delays across several payment firms, with dLocal flagging processing issues in Pakistan—though it doesn’t appear to be a full nationwide outage. Education & Research: Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2027 show no Pakistani university in the world’s top 400, with Karachi and Punjab outside the top 400 bands. Health & Science: Nobel Prize in Medicine 2026 goes to optogenetics pioneers Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel, highlighting light-controlled control of nerve cells. Local Tech & Skills: Lahore launches a Heritage Skills Training Hub to teach traditional conservation methods like lime plaster, tile mosaic and fresco painting. Agriculture Tech: A minister says rice planters could raise yields by up to 15%, with feasibility work planned for Punjab and Sindh. Security & Society: Pakistan braces for a protest after talks with Imran Khan’s PTI fail, while violence-related fatalities rose 83% in Q3 2026, per CRSS.

AI & Data Economy: World Context CEO Sherdil Khan says an alien AI supply chain might pull “data from Pakistan” to train humanoids, with Pakistan positioned as a key source of real-world sensory datasets. UN Diplomacy: UN Secretary-General António Guterres is set to arrive in Pakistan for meetings with PM Shehbaz Sharif, FM Ishaq Dar and President Zardari, including a visit to NDMA and UNMOGIP. Digital Payments: 1LINK expects payment transactions to top 12 billion in 2026, with throughput nearing Rs90 trillion as Pakistan’s cashless rails expand. Agri Tech & Finance: SBP flags weak insurance, lack of accredited warehouses and limited finance as core blockers to farm lending. Climate & Air Quality Tech: Punjab and Türkiye explore cooperation on smog control, with Punjab’s AI-driven air quality forecasting hub highlighted. Education & Skills: KPEZDMC and IMSciences sign an MoU for workplace OJT in hi-tech and digital skills. Nuclear Legacy: PAEC holds a memorial for former chairman Parvez Butt, praising his safety culture work.