Overview
- Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar inaugurated the country’s first Google Chromebook assembly line in Islamabad, positioning it to broaden access to affordable devices and support jobs, supply chains and potential tech exports.
- A new MoU with Google includes training 100,000 developers, rolling out AI-based Android public-safety services, tailored programs for gaming and startups, and 100,000 Google Career Certificates, alongside plans for a local Google office.
- Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced a decision to privatize 24 state-owned enterprises, target completion of PIA’s sale before year-end, and advance federal right-sizing by merging 39 ministries, with the First Women Bank sale completed and work progressing on DISCOs.
- Judicial oversight tightened environmental compliance: the Supreme Court reviewed KP data showing 903 crushing plants with 879 monitored and 230 currently closed, emphasizing protection of the environment over permanent shutdowns, while the Lahore High Court ordered enforcement of 10 p.m. market and 11 p.m. restaurant closures to curb smog.
- Maritime Affairs Minister Muhammad Junaid Anwar outlined plans to expand the PNSC fleet by 50%, finalize agreements for five ships, and develop a 700-acre Pakistan Maritime Industrial Zone to enable domestic shipbuilding.