Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday stressed that artificial intelligence (AI) and digitalisation could improve Pakistan’s trade, exports and other areas of development and called for effective implementation of the government’s strategic partnership with global marketing company Alibaba.
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intelligence → stress → Alibaba
The premier was chairing a meeting in Islamabad reviewing progress on the use of AI and digitalisation in the economy and governance, as well as cooperation with Alibaba in these areas, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
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premier → chair → Office
“The secret to Pakistan’s development lies in artificial intelligence and digitalisation,” the PMO quoted him as saying.
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PMO → lie → him
During the meeting, he said the effective use of digitalisation, AI and modern technology could play a “vital role in improving trade, exports, agricultural productivity, ease of doing business and the quality of public services in Pakistan”, PMO said.
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PMO → say → Pakistan
PM Shehbaz welcomed Alibaba’s cooperation in facilitating Pakistani agricultural exports to Chinese markets, highlighting that modernising the agricultural sector was essential for national development.
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modernising → welcome → development
He also welcomed cooperation with Alibaba on automation in agriculture.
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He → welcome → agriculture
The prime minister directed that an AI-assisted cancer early-detection system be implemented at the earliest in collaboration with Alibaba.
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system → direct → Alibaba
He also directed that a 15-day AI training programme for IT graduates be launched soon under the IT ministry’s Ignite programme, in collaboration with Alibaba.
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programme → direct → Alibaba
The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) was directed to introduce an analytics system for monitoring the petroleum products supply chain in collaboration with Alibaba.
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Authority → direct → Alibaba
The Export Promotion Board was also instructed to work with Alibaba to help increase Pakistan’s exports.
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Board → instruct → exports
The prime minister recalled that a memorandum of understanding had been signed with Alibaba at the company’s headquarters in Hangzhou during his visit to China.
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memorandum → recall → China
He said the government’s top priorities included making full use of its strategic partnership with the global company to improve small and medium enterprises’ (SMEs) access to global markets and create new opportunities for technology-driven development in the country.
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priorities → say → country
The prime minister directed all relevant authorities to ensure that cooperation with Alibaba was translated into tangible results through clearly defined targets, timelines and effective monitoring of all projects.
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cooperation → direct → projects
He instructed the relevant ministries to complete all necessary measures by November and submit a progress report.
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He → instruct → report
The meeting was also briefed on progress in various sectors under the strategic cooperation between Alibaba and the Pakistan government, according to the statement.
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meeting → brief → statement
It was informed that work was under way on AI-based models for agriculture, track-and-trace technology for tobacco, and digital platforms to facilitate the export of citrus fruits and olives.
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work → inform → fruits
A dedicated Pakistan pavilion has also been established on Alibaba’s platform to promote Pakistani products in international markets, the PMO added.
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PMO → establish → markets
A system for the digital verification of trade documents through Pakistan Single Window has been made operational.
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system → make → Window
Meanwhile, a two-year programme is being launched through collaboration between the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) and Alibaba to provide SMEs with access to international markets, training and e-commerce opportunities.
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programme → launch → markets
The meeting also reviewed progress on developing an advanced data platform and a central data hub for the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and Pakistan Revenue Automation Limited (PRAL), as well as a proposed pilot project for AI-assisted cancer diagnosis.
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meeting → review → diagnosis
In the energy sector, Ogra is being provided with AI and business intelligence tools to analyse fuel supply chain data, according to the PMO.
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Ogra → provide → PMO
Initiatives involving the use of digital technology and AI in higher education, railways, postal services and urban administration are also “in the final stages of completion”, the statement added.
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statement → involve → completion
Federal ministers Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Jam Kamal Khan, Dr Musadik Malik, Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Attaullah Tarar, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Syed Mustafa Kamal and Abdul Aleem Khan attended the meeting, along with Minister of State Bilal Azhar Kayani and relevant senior officials.
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ministers → attend → Kayani
During the premier’s four-day visit to China in May this year, Pakistan expressed its support for “China’s initiative of establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation (WAICO), believing that this represents a concrete step toward promoting the development of artificial intelligence for good and for all”.
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this → express → all
In July, Pakistan became a founding member of WAICO after Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar signed the agreement establishing the forum in Shanghai, China.
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Dar → become → Shanghai
Earlier this year, PM Shehbaz announced the government’s plan to invest $1 billion in AI by 2030.
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Shehbaz → announce → 2030
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