The “Pakistan-US Tech Connect 2026” was organized by the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, D.C in partnership with the Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunication, OPEN Global, and the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) to promote direct communication between top Pakistani technology companies and their American counterparts.
The event, which was intended to be an executive networking session, sought to uncover possible collaborations in the areas of product creation, digital transformation, corporate solutions, and strategic IT cooperation. Senior executives from sixteen top Pakistani IT firms that work in cutting-edge fields, including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, data analytics, fintech, and healthcare technology, were on display at the delegation.
Syed Nehal Hashmi, the governor of the Pakistani province of Sindh, as well as executives from the Pakistani American business sector, government agencies, multilateral organizations, and significant U.S. technology and financial companies, were among the notable attendees. The program aimed to transform Pakistan’s growing IT export capabilities into long-term business partnerships through organized executive panel discussions and carefully planned business-to-business (B2B) events, making technology a fundamental component of Pakistan-US economic engagement.
Rizwan Saeed Sheik, the ambassador of Pakistan to the US, welcomed attendees and described the tech series’ goal as a crucial step to establish Pakistan as a significant contributor and US partner in the rapidly changing global technological landscape.
“The current showcase focuses on presenting top-tier Pakistani firms and aims to display the ‘best and brightest’ from the Pakistani tech industry directly to stakeholders in Washington, D.C.,” Ambassador Sheikh said. “The showcasing aims to display Pakistani tech firms’ IT prowess and its ability to meet international standards in evolving fields like AI.”
Emphasizing the historical depth of bilateral relations between Pakistan and the United States, Ambassador Sheikh described the partnership as inherently consequential and presented IT partnership as the next promising prospect in that context.
“Each time Pakistan and the United States have come together, we have produced results, and results not only for ourselves in the bilateral domain, but results for the whole world,” he observed.
Underscoring a strategic shift in bilateral priorities, Ambassador Sheikh called for pivoting from traditional security concerns toward technological alignment.
“A key goal is to make a transition in the bilateral relationship from ‘CT to IT,’ moving from counterterrorism to information technology. This is what we have to work on because this is going to yield a mutually rewarding partnership in the future,” he added.
Additionally, Ambassador Sheikh reflected on Pakistan’s role as an emerging factor of regional and global stability.
“It is the Pakistan moment. We had that potential all along, but Pakistan’s potential is most pronounced in the digital domain. Over the past 16 and 17 months, we have seen the best of Pakistan’s defense and diplomacy. We have emerged as a factor of stability as well as a stabilizing agent, a stabilizing force, a stabilizing nation,” he noted.
In his address, Governor of Sindh Syed Nehal Hashmi stressed that U.S. enterprises seek trusted partners capable of delivering long-term value. Consequently, he urged the participating delegation to convert digital capabilities into tangible outcomes, including qualified business opportunities, pilot projects, and high-value contracts.
Furthering this vision, Chief Executive Officer of PSEB Mr. Faisal Jeddy, CEO of Ignite Mr. Bilal Abbasi, and President of OPEN Global DC Chapter Mr. Hassan Khalid highlighted the swift expansion of Pakistan’s technology domain. They emphasized that while Pakistan offers vast technical talent, the United States presents expansive market opportunities for scalable growth.
During panel discussions, speakers addressed a strategic transition within the sector, moving away from routine IT services and labor arbitrage toward building proprietary intellectual property (IP) and scalable product innovations. This transition has positioned Pakistan as a high-value, competitive collaborator in the global tech ecosystem.
As the ceremony came to an end, Ambassador Sheik reaffirmed that “Pakistan has arrived,” proclaiming the time to be the “Pakistan moment” and commending the delegation companies as gifted embodiments of the country’s potential.
Ambassador Sheik invited foreign partners to “come and profit from the promise of Pakistan,” pointing out that although corporations are first drawn in by competitive prices, long-term commitment is guaranteed by the high caliber of Pakistani tech expertise. He urged the audience to take advantage of the opportunity to actively contribute to redefining, redesigning, and rebranding Pakistan on the international scene.