Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated the newly renamed Daanish IT Park (National Technology Park) in Islamabad on Saturday, calling the country’s first national technology facility a crucial milestone for Pakistan’s economic progress.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the prime minister announced that the government would not run the facility. Instead, it will be handed over to a company selected through a transparent bidding process and operated by experts and teachers.
“The government of Pakistan will have nothing to do with this. There will be experts and teachers here, and they will run this IT park,” he said while inaugurating the facility.
Open bidding for local and international firms
PM Shehbaz said local and international companies working in information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI) would be invited to bid. The building will go to the company offering the best services under the most favourable terms and conditions.
“I have already told the ministry that bidding should be conducted transparently. Companies working in the fields of IT and AI, whether in Pakistan or abroad, will be invited,” he said.
The pledge marks a break from the usual state-run model — and a contrast with the Karachi IT Park, heading for a third tender after two failed attempts.
Skills for hundreds of thousands
The prime minister said the Daanish IT Park would equip young people with IT and AI skills to help Pakistan compete with developed economies.
“This IT park will prove to be a milestone for Pakistan’s development and prosperity,” he said, adding that the facility would house incubation centres, innovation hubs, start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), industrialists, teachers and students.
He called it Pakistan’s first IT park built on “highly modern lines.”
“It will equip and empower not thousands but hundreds of thousands of children with skills,” he said, adding that he hoped those skills would help Pakistan reach the ranks of developed countries.
The start-up focus fits a growing ecosystem: 13 women-led start-ups won backing through Mobilink Bank’s WIN Incubator last year, Ahsan Iqbal has urged Pakistan to build its own global brands, and AI is spreading through the corporate sector, as examined in our earlier report.
Daanish IT Park: a project eight years in the making
The prime minister acknowledged that the project had suffered “considerable delays.” Its foundation stone was laid in 2018, but he declined to discuss what went wrong.
“What happened afterwards is part of history. I will not say anything about it today, because this is not an occasion for political point-scoring,” he said.
He credited Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Khan Cheema, IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja and their teams, adding that he had chaired several meetings and visited the site more than once.
Why “Daanish”?
PM Shehbaz announced that the Islamabad IT Park would henceforth be known as the Danish IT Park, linking it to the Danish school system, which educates children from disadvantaged backgrounds.
He said the initiative would extend to Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. Thousands of poor children had benefited from Danish schools, he said, with graduates becoming doctors, engineers, scientists and teachers.
The prime minister also referred to plans for Danish universities, expressing hope that the IT park would become a nationwide initiative.
“God willing, this Danish IT Park will become a mighty tree, and millions of children across the country will receive education under its shade,” he said.
What happens next
The real test begins now. The promised transparent bidding will decide whether the park thrives or becomes another stalled public asset. If Islamabad’s facility succeeds, the prime minister expects many more across all four provinces.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Daanish IT Park?
It is Pakistan’s first national technology facility, the National Technology Park in Islamabad, inaugurated on October 10, 2026 and renamed the Daanish IT Park after the Danish school system.
Who will run the Daanish IT Park?
Not the government. PM Shehbaz said it will be handed to a company selected through a transparent bidding process, open to local and international IT and AI firms, and operated by experts and teachers.
What will the park offer?
Incubation centres, innovation hubs, start-ups, SMEs, industrialists, teachers and students, with a focus on giving young Pakistanis IT and AI skills to compete with developed economies.
Will similar parks open elsewhere?
The prime minister said he expects many more such parks across all four provinces once the Islamabad facility is fully operational, and mentioned extending the initiative to Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
*Original reporting: The Express Tribune*
