Quantum Valley Pakistan to open new pathways for youth, startups and high-tech businesses: Ahsan Iqbal

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal said on Wednesday that the launch of Quantum Valley Pakistan marks the beginning of a new journey for the country toward technological advancement, innovation and a knowledge-driven economy.

Addressing the launch ceremony in Islamabad, Iqbal said the event was more than the inauguration of a project.

“Today is not merely the inauguration of a project; it marks the beginning of a new direction for Pakistan’s future,” he said, describing the moment as a proud one for the country and adding that the initiative would help connect Pakistani youth with global centres of innovation and technology.

The ceremony was attended by Tim Rowe, CEO of the Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC); Dougan Sherwood, Partner at CIC; and Seena Amidi, Managing Partner at Plug and Play.

Two agreements were signed on the occasion — one between CIC and Quantum Valley Pakistan, and another between Plug and Play and Quantum Valley Pakistan — aimed at strengthening technological collaboration and supporting the country’s innovation ecosystem.

Iqbal called the agreements an important step toward equipping Pakistani youth with modern technology and creating pathways for innovation, entrepreneurship and high-tech business development.

The minister said Quantum Valley Pakistan would serve as a platform connecting Pakistani youth with global technology and innovation hubs while bringing stakeholders together within a modern technology ecosystem, and would create new opportunities for startups and high-tech businesses in the country.

“Our objective is to enable Pakistan to achieve a leading position in technology and innovation globally,” he said.

Iqbal argued that the centre of power in the 21st century is no longer physical strength but intellectual and creative capability, and those countries with the best ideas and the ability to turn them into products would move ahead in the global economy.

He noted that nearly 60 percent of Pakistan’s population is young, calling the country’s youth “second to none” in talent and potential.

“We have to bring together the capabilities of our youth and move forward with the spirit of Team Pakistan,” he said, describing them as the “Shaheens of Iqbal” and calling on them to harness their capabilities for the country’s progress and prosperity.

Linking the initiative to the government’s broader economic goals, Iqbal said Pakistan’s defence and diplomatic successes must be backed by a strong and sustainable economy, and reiterated the government’s targets of a $1 trillion economy by 2035 and a $3 trillion economy by 2047.

“Achieving a $1 trillion economy by 2035 is certainly difficult, but it is not impossible,” he said, adding that a country that became a nuclear power despite enormous challenges could achieve the target through determination, innovation and collective national effort. He said Pakistan needed a strong economic future for its young generation, “not turmoil on its streets,” and stressed that increasing exports was essential to achieving complete economic sovereignty.

The minister recalled that Pakistan established several National Centres in emerging fields in 2017 — including Big Data and Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Automation and Robotics, GIS and Space Technology, Applied Mathematics, and Livestock and Genomics — connecting universities into a national technology network. He said this journey was accelerated further in 2024 under URAAN Pakistan, and that the resulting technology ecosystem would contribute to the government’s target of raising Pakistan’s exports to $100 billion by 2035.

Citing Pakistan’s population of 260 million as a source of economic potential, Iqbal said the country needed to build the capacity to generate at least $400 billion annually in foreign exchange.

“Pakistan’s youth can earn millions of dollars in foreign exchange for the country through knowledge and technology,” he said, adding that the government wants to transform young people from job seekers into architects of knowledge, innovation and development.

He described the launch of Quantum Valley Pakistan as not only the start of a new institutional initiative but the beginning of a broader journey toward a technology-driven, innovative and economically empowered Pakistan.