Pakistan IT and telecom investment was front and center as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met senior Turkish business executives in Istanbul on 4 July 2026, offering the country as an open destination for digital and technology capital from Türkiye. The visit, held at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, produced concrete proposals including a Pakistan-Türkiye Digital Corridor and a formal pitch to Turkcell, one of Türkiye’s biggest telecom operators, to help fund Pakistan’s 5G rollout.
Pakistan IT and Telecom Investment Pitched at Istanbul Meetings
PM Shehbaz held a series of meetings with senior executives of Türkiye’s leading business groups in Istanbul, including the Chairman of Çalık Holding Ahmet Çalık, the Chairman of Albayrak Group Ahmet Albayrak, and the President of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Türkiye (TOBB) Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu.
The Prime Minister invited Turkish companies to expand their investment footprint in Pakistan’s priority sectors, including energy, mining and minerals, infrastructure, maritime and logistics, information technology, telecommunications, manufacturing, agriculture and privatisation.
PM Shehbaz highlighted Pakistan’s improving macroeconomic fundamentals, its investor-friendly policy framework and the government’s commitment to ensuring a transparent, predictable and business-friendly investment environment.
The Prime Minister also noted that the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) continues to provide one-window facilitation for strategic investors. In his meeting with Çalık Holding specifically, he emphasised Pakistan’s significant opportunities in energy, infrastructure, information technology and privatisation. The SIFC is a body that brings together federal and provincial authorities under one roof to remove red tape for big investors.
The Pakistan-Türkiye Digital Corridor Proposal
The most striking tech announcement came from a separate meeting with Turkcell’s CEO. Pakistan proposed establishing a Pakistan-Türkiye Digital Corridor and invited Turkcell to explore investment in the country’s telecommunications and digital infrastructure, including 5G deployment, telecom equipment manufacturing and technology transfer.
The Prime Minister invited Turkcell to explore long-term collaboration with Pakistani institutions in areas including 5G deployment, network optimisation, spectrum management, digital infrastructure and technology transfer.
The PM shared the government’s vision of the Pakistan-Türkiye Digital Corridor to strengthen regional digital connectivity, facilitate secure cross-border data flows, and advance the integration of digital infrastructure.
He also encouraged Turkcell to consider partnerships in the local manufacturing of telecommunications equipment, software development, digital skills development and capacity building, noting that such cooperation would strengthen Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.
Turkcell CEO Ali Taha Koç appreciated the Government of Pakistan’s forward-looking digital transformation agenda and expressed the company’s keen interest in exploring collaboration opportunities in telecommunications, digital infrastructure and emerging technologies.
FM Dar Addresses Pakistan-Türkiye Business Conference
Alongside the PM’s bilateral meetings, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar took the stage at the Pakistan-Türkiye Business Conference to drive the same message home. Dar invited Turkish investors to explore opportunities in Pakistan’s key economic sectors, including energy, mining, minerals, power infrastructure, IT, manufacturing, agriculture, logistics, tourism and defence industries, saying these sectors offer significant potential for commercial growth while promoting technology transfer and employment generation.
The foreign minister also stressed the importance of collaboration in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, digital innovation, financial technology, advanced manufacturing and research partnerships, describing them as critical drivers of future economic competitiveness.
Pakistani ministers at the business conference also said the government planned to privatise electricity distribution companies, airports and other state-owned assets while offering investment in energy, mining, infrastructure and IT through public-private partnership projects.
A $5 Billion Trade Target and Why IT Is at the Heart of It
Pakistan and Türkiye reaffirmed their commitment to raising bilateral trade to $5 billion. At a joint press conference in Istanbul, Turkish President Erdogan said the two leaders discussed measures to enhance trade and investment, reaffirming the $5 billion target.
The Turkish president also said Ankara and Islamabad wanted to deepen cooperation in energy, transportation, critical minerals and information technologies, describing defence cooperation as a cornerstone of bilateral economic relations.
For Pakistan’s tech sector, the interest from a country like Türkiye carries real weight. Pakistan has already launched its 5G spectrum, the Ministry of IT has rolled out a nationwide programme called ‘AI Seekho 2026’, and the total value of Pakistan’s startup ecosystem has crossed $4 billion, a clear sign of growth since 2020. Pakistani IT exports have also been on a strong run, with the sector nearing $4.2 billion in FY2026. You can read more about that growth trajectory in our coverage of Pakistan IT exports nearing a record $4.2 billion.
For context on how Pakistan is building out the physical backbone for future digital investment, our earlier piece on the telecom right of way bill and owner consent rules explains one of the key policy changes shaping network infrastructure.
Pakistan IT and telecom investment from a credible partner like Türkiye could speed up 5G deployment at a time when the country is trying to grow its digital economy. Turkcell already operates in multiple emerging markets, so it brings both capital and know-how. The proposed Digital Corridor, if it moves from proposal to project, could also open new routes for cross-border data and cloud services between South Asia and Europe.
Pakistan also invited TOBB to lead a high-level business delegation to Pakistan to explore emerging investment opportunities firsthand, which could bring more Turkish companies into direct contact with Pakistani partners.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did PM Shehbaz propose to Turkish investors in Istanbul?
PM Shehbaz invited Turkish companies to expand their investment in Pakistan’s priority sectors, including information technology, telecommunications, energy, infrastructure, manufacturing and agriculture. The headline tech proposal was a Pakistan-Türkiye Digital Corridor and an invitation to Turkcell to invest in 5G infrastructure.
What is the Pakistan-Türkiye Digital Corridor?
The Pakistan-Türkiye Digital Corridor is a government vision to strengthen regional digital connectivity, facilitate secure cross-border data flows, and advance the integration of digital infrastructure between the two countries. It was proposed during a meeting with Turkcell’s CEO in Istanbul.
What role does SIFC play in attracting this investment?
The Prime Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to a transparent and investment-friendly business environment, supported by the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), to facilitate strategic investments in high-value sectors, particularly information and communication technologies. SIFC acts as a single-window body that coordinates approvals across federal and provincial authorities.
What is the Pakistan-Türkiye bilateral trade target?
President Erdogan confirmed, ‘We have reaffirmed our target of increasing our trade volume to the previously settled level of $5 billion.’ Both sides said their ministries are actively working to expand the financial trade agreement to reach this goal.
