ISLAMABAD: A five-member delegation of American tech giant Google has arrived in Pakistan and will meet Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Syed Aminul Haque and other stakeholders regarding setting up its operations in the country.

This was confirmed by the spokesperson of the Ministry of IT and Telecom while responding to Business Recorder questions. The delegation is expected to hold an important meeting with Haque on Tuesday (today) and issues of mutual concerns would be discussed.

He said the delegation was also likely to meet Federal Minister for Law and Justice, Senator Azam Nazeer Tarar, and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Chairman Maj Gen Amir Azeem Bajwa (retired) among other key officials.

The IT minister said the delegation would discuss the opening of a liaison office in Pakistan, and would also hold talks regarding investment in Pakistan. “The Google team will discuss the opening of a dedicated office in the country. By opening the office, they will get to know the culture and traditions of Pakistan,” said the IT minister.

Under Section 435 of the Companies Act 2017, Google Asia Pacific Pte Ltd has been registered under the Companies Act, 2017 for establishing a liaison office in Pakistan with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).

The minister is hopeful that companies such as Google, Facebook, and other social media platforms earn huge revenue from Pakistan and they should open their offices in the country, which is going to help them in understanding Pakistan’s culture, traditions, and religious beliefs.

The IT and Telecom Minister added that “if Google and other tech or social media companies set up their offices in the country, we could refer to these offices in case of any dispute and discuss the matter.”

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022