TLDR: Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to significantly enhance cooperation in artificial intelligence, digital governance, and data innovation. This landmark agreement was reached during high-level meetings at GITEX Global 2025 in Dubai, where Pakistan’s IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja engaged with key UAE officials and global tech leaders. The collaboration aims to bolster advanced technology, cybersecurity, and startup ecosystems, aligning with Pakistan’s ‘Digital Nation’ vision and its National Artificial Intelligence Policy 2025.
Dubai, UAE – October 14, 2025 – Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates have solidified their commitment to deepen collaboration across critical technological domains, including artificial intelligence, digital governance, and data innovation. The agreement was a key outcome of discussions held on the sidelines of GITEX Global 2025 in Dubai, the world’s largest tech exhibition, which is hosting over 6,500 companies from more than 180 countries from October 13 to 17.
Pakistan’s Federal Minister for IT & Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, led the delegation, engaging in a series of high-profile meetings. During her interaction with Omar Suwaina Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary at the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, both nations agreed to strengthen cooperation in advanced technology, data innovation, and cross-border startup investment. Minister Khawaja highlighted Pakistan’s ‘Digital Nation Pakistan’ vision, the Digital Nation Pakistan Act, the National Data Exchange Layer, and ongoing initiatives promoting a cashless economy, smart governance, and AI integration.
Further expanding the scope of collaboration, Minister Khawaja met with Dr. Mohamed Al Kuwaiti, Head of the UAE Cybersecurity Council. Discussions focused on enhancing cyber-resilience, advancing cloud governance, and securing data infrastructure. Both sides committed to developing robust frameworks for data sovereignty, cybersecurity capacity-building, and joint training programs.
In a significant move to boost Pakistan’s AI capabilities, the Minister also held separate sessions with prominent AI industry leaders. Dr. Ramin Hasani, CEO of Liquid AI (an MIT spinout), and Andrew Feldman, CEO of Cerebras Systems, briefed Minister Khawaja on cutting-edge AI research and infrastructure projects. These meetings culminated in agreements to collaborate on AI skill development, startup incubation, and providing access to advanced compute systems, all in support of Pakistan’s National Artificial Intelligence Policy 2025. The Minister also explored partnerships with G42 (Group 42), UAE’s largest sovereign cloud platform, for sovereign cloud infrastructure, AI innovation hubs, and GPU-based national compute capacity under Pakistan’s Cloud First Policy.
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Pakistan’s growing presence at GITEX Global 2025 is marked by a dedicated National Pavilion, showcasing 10 innovative startups and over 26 technology firms, underscoring the country’s expanding digital potential. This increased engagement has coincided with a notable rise in IT exports from Pakistan to the UAE, which reached $380 million this year, a significant increase from $280 million in 2024, as reported by Pakistan’s Ambassador to the UAE, Faisal Niaz Tirmizi. The collaborative efforts are poised to position Pakistan as a regional hub for innovation and public-sector digitization.
