Huawei asked to set up R&D centre

According to The Express Tribune, Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja toured Huawei's Global Service Centre in Islamabad and was briefed on its operations. She was received by Ethan Sun, CEO of Huawei Pakistan, Ahmed Bilal Masud, CEO for AI and Cloud, and the centre's senior management. The centre handles remote technical support, network operations and service assurance for international customers, and the minister spoke with young engineers and technology professionals working there.

Speaking during the visit, Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the centre showed Pakistan's growing standing as a global technology and IT services hub, and she described it as 'exports without shipping containers.' She noted that around 68% of the population is under 30 and stressed turning this young workforce into skilled human capital. Referring to the training partnership agreed during the prime minister's China visit, she welcomed Huawei's pledge to educate 300,000 young people from Pakistan in information technology.

The minister urged Huawei to widen its investment, knowledge sharing and mentoring, and to examine setting up a research and development centre in the country. She also praised the work of the company's ICT Academies and met women engineers at the facility, calling for more opportunities for women in technology. Ethan Sun responded that Huawei aimed to strengthen local technical expertise and help Pakistani professionals take part in the global digital economy.