Pakistan starts assembling Google Chromebooks

Pakistan's IT exports climbed by 18% against the same month last year, reaching $417 million in July 2026, according to official data cited by The Express Tribune. The start followed a record FY26, in which shipments rose to $4.6 billion, a 21% gain on roughly $3.8 billion the year before. Technology was the biggest contributor to services exports, which totalled $10.02 billion in the same year.

Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja credited sustained private-sector development for the gains and said the freelancing economy has passed $1 billion this year. IT exports, she noted, have expanded at close to 20% a year over roughly two and a half years. The Google office, she added, would help build new talent and support the local tech ecosystem. She said the presence of Google and other large technology firms would also draw more overseas companies to set up here.

The budget also granted the IT sector special incentives, such as a final-tax arrangement covering exports and a 0.25% levy on export receipts. The NRTC facility in Haripur, where a Chromebook line was opened last year, is operating and can output up to 500,000 units a year. The government is weighing overseas sales of the devices. Khurram Shehzad, an adviser to the Federal Finance Minister, said the $63 million year-on-year rise in July reflected sustained growth and wider global demand.