Islamabad's National Technology Park opens as Daanish IT Park, with operators to be chosen by bidding

Pakistan has opened its first national technology park, and the government says it does not want to run it. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated the National Technology Park in Islamabad on Saturday, 10 October, renamed it Daanish IT Park, and told the IT ministry to invite Pakistani and foreign technology companies to bid to operate it.

The park was previously known as Islamabad IT Park. It is meant to bring incubation centres, innovation hubs, small and medium enterprises, startups and industry leaders under one roof. Sharif said the foundation was laid in 2017 to 2018.

A private operator, by bidding

The prime minister directed that the bidding be transparent and that the winning operator work to internationally recognised standard operating procedures, without any interference from the government. No tender or timeline has been announced.

Sharif said the park is not just a building. In his words, "it is about ecosystem, it is about innovation", with skills training, vocational courses and AI expertise housed alongside companies. He said the minister and her team had turned a sick project into a sound and healthy one.

Officials told a National Assembly committee in September 2025 that construction was more than 80 percent complete, with Rs7 billion earmarked for the park from a soft loan by a Korean bank. At the opening, the prime minister thanked the Korean government and its ambassador for their support. Ambassador Han Sungho said Korea has contributed more than $340 million to Pakistan's development over four decades.

More parks planned

Sharif said similar technology parks will be built across the country, including in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, to open opportunities for young people. A software technology park in Bagh, Azad Kashmir, was reported complete at a July review of the national IT roadmap, according to the Prime Minister's Office.

IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja described the park as a digital business and technology ecosystem. She said public private partnerships have set up small technology centres in 65 districts over the past two years, where children have round the clock internet access, and that 135 such centres are now serving young people.

Pakistan Digital Authority chairman Dr Sohail Munir told the event that IT exports exceeded $4.5 billion in the last fiscal year. Salim Ghauri, chief executive of NetSol Technologies, said the AI industry is opening new opportunities and that the country needs more skilled workers to take them. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, cabinet members, parliamentarians and students also attended.

The prime minister also noted that a Daanish University is being set up in Islamabad.