PM Shehbaz sets November deadline for Alibaba cooperation plans

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed ministries to complete all measures linked to the government's cooperation with Alibaba Group by November and submit a progress report, after chairing a review meeting in Islamabad on Wednesday on the use of artificial intelligence and digitisation in the economy and governance.

According to the Prime Minister's Office, Shehbaz told the meeting that the "secret to national development lay in AI and digitisation", and said effective use of the technology mattered for improving trade, exports, agricultural production, business facilitation and the quality of government services. Dawn and The Express Tribune both reported the remarks, which the PMO also carried in a post on X.

The prime minister said a memorandum of understanding had been signed with Alibaba during his visit to China, at the company's headquarters in Hangzhou. He said using the partnership to give small and medium enterprises access to global markets, and to create opportunities for technology-driven development, was among the government's top priorities. He welcomed Alibaba's cooperation on automation in agriculture and on exporting Pakistani farm commodities to Chinese markets.

The PMO said the meeting was briefed on work under way on AI-based models in agriculture, tobacco track-and-trace technology and a digital platform for exporting citrus fruit and olives. A dedicated Pakistan Pavilion has been set up on an Alibaba website for Pakistani products, digital verification of trade documents through the Pakistan Single Window has been activated, and a two-year programme is being launched with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority and Alibaba to give SMEs market access, training and e-commerce opportunities.

It said the meeting reviewed preparations for a modern data platform and central data hub for the Federal Board of Revenue and PRAL, and a proposed pilot project for cancer diagnosis with AI assistance. In the energy sector, OGRA is being provided AI and business intelligence tools to analyse fuel supply chain data. Initiatives on digital technology and AI in higher education, railways, postal services and urban administration are in the final stages of completion, the PMO said.

Shehbaz asked that the cancer early detection system with Alibaba's cooperation be ensured at the earliest, and that a 15-day training programme for IT graduates in AI, under the Ignite programme of the Ministry of Information Technology and with Alibaba, start soon. He also asked OGRA to promptly introduce an analytics system for monitoring the petroleum products supply chain, and directed the Export Promotion Board to work with Alibaba to increase national exports.

The meeting was attended by ministers including Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Tanveer Hussain, Jam Kamal Khan, Musadiq Malik, Ahad Khan Cheema, Muhammad Aurangzeb, Ataullah Tarar, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Syed Mustafa Kamal and Abdul Aleem Khan.