PM Shehbaz vows to expand Danish IT Park model across Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday inaugurated the Islamabad IT Park, renaming it the Danish IT Park and announcing plans to extend the initiative to other provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B).

Addressing the inauguration ceremony, PM Shehbaz said the facility would support young Pakistanis through information technology (IT), artificial intelligence (AI), skills development and innovation, helping the country advance towards economic prosperity.

“This IT Park will prove to be a milestone for Pakistan’s development and prosperity,” PM Shehbaz said, adding that it would bring together incubation centres, innovative startups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), industrialists, teachers and students.

He said the modern facility would help equip hundreds of thousands of young people with skills and empower them to contribute to Pakistan’s progress.

PM Shehbaz expressed hope that the project would serve as a model for similar facilities across the country. Once the Islamabad facility became fully operational, he said, IT parks could be established on a much larger scale across Pakistan’s four provinces.

He added that AI and IT could support a range of sectors, including agriculture, industry, manufacturing, and mines and minerals.

PM Shehbaz calls for transparent bidding

PM Shehbaz said the project’s foundation stone had been laid in 2017-18, but he chose not to discuss the delays, saying the inauguration was not an occasion for political point-scoring.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif addresses the inaugural ceremony of National Technology Park (Daanish Technology Park) in Islamabad. pic.twitter.com/cV3ZiL2ryG

— Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) October 10, 2026

He credited teamwork and the efforts of government officials and ministers for bringing the project to completion, describing it as a project that had moved from being “sick” to “sound and healthy”.

PM Shehbaz said he had personally chaired several meetings and visited the site more than once to help complete the project, stressing that the priority was to ensure young Pakistanis could benefit from the facility as soon as possible.

He also thanked South Korea for its contribution, expressing gratitude to the country’s president and prime minister.

“This project will not only be a most successful project in this field; we will take care of it,” he said.

PM Shehbaz emphasised that the facility’s purpose extended beyond the construction of a building, saying its success would depend on the ecosystem developed inside it.

“It’s not about brick and mortar. It’s not about a grand, wonderful building. It’s about ecosystem,” he said.

He explained that the park would bring together incubation facilities, skills development and vocational training, allowing industrialists and entrepreneurs to engage directly with IT and AI experts.

PM Shehbaz said he had instructed the relevant ministry to conduct the bidding process transparently and invite companies operating in Pakistan and abroad to manage the facility.

The government would select a company offering the best services and terms and conditions, he said, adding that the park would be run by experts and teachers rather than directly managed by the government.

Islamabad IT Park renamed Danish IT Park

Announcing the change of name, PM Shehbaz said the Islamabad IT Park would henceforth be known as the Danish IT Park.

He said the government planned to take the initiative to other provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, drawing a parallel with the Danish school network, which provides educational opportunities to children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

PM Shehbaz said thousands of students from economically deprived families had studied at Danish schools and gone on to become doctors, engineers, scientists and teachers, while others were pursuing higher education at universities around the world.

He said Danish schools were being established in several parts of the country, including Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He also referred to plans to establish Danish University.

PM Shehbaz expressed hope that the Danish IT Park would similarly benefit young people across Pakistan.

“We have named it the Danish IT Park,” he said, adding that he hoped it would grow into a strong institution through which millions of young people could gain education and skills.

PM thanks officials behind the project

PM Shehbaz thanked Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Ahad Khan Cheema, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja and officials involved in the project.

He also acknowledged an official named Abdullah, inviting the audience to applaud his contribution.

Referring again to South Korea, PM Shehbaz congratulated the country on its economic and industrial development. He recalled meeting Korean companies and said his earlier interactions with the country had helped bring Daewoo air-conditioned buses to Lahore during his first tenure as Punjab chief minister.

He said South Korea had become one of the world’s leading industrial economies.