{"id":86919,"date":"2026-08-18T17:20:58","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T17:20:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/?p=86919"},"modified":"2026-08-18T17:40:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T17:40:45","slug":"pm-shehbaz-sharif-meets-google-delegation-inaugurates-companys-first-pakistan-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/2026\/08\/18\/pm-shehbaz-sharif-meets-google-delegation-inaugurates-companys-first-pakistan-office\/","title":{"rendered":"PM Shehbaz Sharif meets Google delegation, inaugurates company\u2019s first Pakistan office"},"content":{"rendered":"<h6 style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Google to expand digital skills, AI and technology programmes for Pakistani youth; local office to support digital transformation and help businesses go global<\/em><\/h6>\n<p><strong>ISLAMABAD:<\/strong> Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday met a nine-member delegation of Google led by Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy Wilson White to discuss Pakistan\u2019s digital transformation, technology infrastructure and initiatives aimed at equipping the country\u2019s youth with skills in information technology and artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n<p>US Embassy Charg\u00e9 d\u2019Affaires Natalie Baker also accompanied the delegation during the meeting.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"PM Shehbaz Sharif meets Google delegation, inaugurates company\u2019s first Pakistan office\" width=\"696\" height=\"392\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FgI5Uj8Rcqw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Prime Minister welcomed Google\u2019s decision to establish its first office in Pakistan, saying the move would further strengthen the partnership between Pakistan and the global technology company and contribute to the country\u2019s rapidly expanding digital economy.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>He said Pakistan was undergoing a major digital transformation of governance, including the digitization of the economy, while the government was advancing its vision of \u201cDigital Nation Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said several initiatives aimed at developing the country\u2019s national digital ecosystem were already at an advanced stage of implementation.<\/p>\n<p>He reiterated the government\u2019s commitment to upgrading Pakistan\u2019s IT infrastructure and highlighted ongoing programmes to train and upskill young people in IT and artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n<p>The Prime Minister stressed the importance of collaboration with leading global technology companies such as Google to achieve Pakistan\u2019s digital transformation objectives.<\/p>\n<p>He appreciated Google\u2019s contribution to Pakistan\u2019s digital economy and its initiatives that had helped thousands of Pakistani young people secure productive employment.<\/p>\n<p>Highlighting the vast potential of Pakistan\u2019s young population in the digital sector, he expressed hope that Google would further expand its programmes to provide advanced skills and empower young Pakistanis.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-86920\" src=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2NjCakAABHmY.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1280\" height=\"882\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2NjCakAABHmY.jpg 1280w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2NjCakAABHmY-300x207.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2NjCakAABHmY-1024x706.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2NjCakAABHmY-768x529.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2NjCakAABHmY-610x420.jpg 610w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2NjCakAABHmY-150x103.jpg 150w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2NjCakAABHmY-218x150.jpg 218w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2NjCakAABHmY-696x480.jpg 696w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2NjCakAABHmY-1068x736.jpg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>He said Google\u2019s local presence would provide an opportunity to scale up high-impact technology and skills-development programmes across the country.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Wilson White briefed the Prime Minister on Google\u2019s plans for Pakistan, saying the establishment of the local office would deepen the company\u2019s commitment to accelerating the country\u2019s digital transformation.<\/p>\n<p>He said Google would build on its longstanding partnership with Pakistan to create new opportunities for young people and support local businesses in accessing international markets.<\/p>\n<p>White also expressed satisfaction over the ongoing Chromebook assembly line established by Google in collaboration with local partners.<\/p>\n<p>He noted the potential for Chromebooks assembled in Pakistan to be exported to other countries in the region, creating additional opportunities for the country\u2019s technology and manufacturing sectors.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-86925\" src=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2FK4aYAAO2Uq.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"798\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2FK4aYAAO2Uq.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2FK4aYAAO2Uq-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2FK4aYAAO2Uq-1024x681.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2FK4aYAAO2Uq-768x511.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2FK4aYAAO2Uq-632x420.jpg 632w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2FK4aYAAO2Uq-150x100.jpg 150w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2FK4aYAAO2Uq-696x463.jpg 696w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2FK4aYAAO2Uq-1068x710.jpg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>The Google vice president said the company recognized the immense potential of Pakistan\u2019s young population and was keen to expand skills-development programmes in IT, artificial intelligence, gaming and other emerging technology fields.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The meeting underscored the growing focus on public-private collaboration to accelerate Pakistan\u2019s digital transformation, develop its technology ecosystem and equip its youth with skills required for the global digital economy.<\/p>\n<p>Following the meeting, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Wilson White, Charg\u00e9 d\u2019Affaires Natalie Baker and other dignitaries jointly unveiled a plaque to formally mark the inauguration of Google\u2019s office in Pakistan.<\/p>\n<p>The establishment of the office is expected to provide a stronger platform for cooperation between Pakistan and Google in digital skills development, innovation, technology investment and the expansion of opportunities for Pakistani businesses and youth.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-86921\" src=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2G9iaQAEZGmJ.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"742\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2G9iaQAEZGmJ.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2G9iaQAEZGmJ-300x186.jpg 300w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2G9iaQAEZGmJ-1024x633.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2G9iaQAEZGmJ-768x475.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2G9iaQAEZGmJ-679x420.jpg 679w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2G9iaQAEZGmJ-150x93.jpg 150w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2G9iaQAEZGmJ-696x430.jpg 696w, https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/HQA2G9iaQAEZGmJ-1068x660.jpg 1068w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Google to expand digital skills, AI and technology programmes for Pakistani youth; local office to support digital transformation and help businesses go global ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday met a nine-member delegation of Google led by Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy Wilson White to discuss Pakistan\u2019s digital transformation, technology [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":86922,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,14,75],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-86919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-diplomacy","category-tech","category-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86919"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86919\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86926,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86919\/revisions\/86926"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thediplomat.com.pk\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}