The Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, affirmed the government’s commitment to fast-tracking the completion of Islamabad's new IT Park.
He made this statement during a project progress review meeting, joined by Minister of State for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Korean Ambassador Park Kijun, and senior officials from the Planning and IT Ministries.
Highlighting the Prime Minister’s vision, Ahsan Iqbal stressed the importance of making Islamabad a regional IT innovation hub, underlining the need for simultaneous development strategies to expedite the project and lay the groundwork for a sustainable digital economy in Pakistan.
The IT Park, spanning 66,893 square meters with two basements, a ground floor, and nine upper floors, is expected to host 120 office spaces for IT and IT-enabled service companies, alongside a startup incubation center with 15 offices. The park will also feature a business support center offering legal, marketing, and financial services; an industry-academia linkage center to foster collaboration between academia and the IT sector; and a Tier III Data Center to ensure uninterrupted power.
Additional facilities include R&D IT labs, an auditorium, and virtual classrooms to support research and training. The project, valued at $88.384 million, is co-financed by the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF) of the Korean EXIM Bank, which is providing $76.310 million as a loan, with the remaining $12.476 million funded through Pakistan’s Public Sector Development Program (PSDP).
Ambassador Park Kijun reaffirmed Korea's commitment to supporting Pakistan’s IT industry, exploring collaboration opportunities and potential export avenues for IT products. Minister Iqbal also proposed establishing Gandhara IT University in Taxila, with Pakistan offering free land to encourage one of Korea’s leading universities to partner in this initiative. This university would honor the ancient Gandhara legacy by transforming Taxila into a center of educational and technological excellence.