Bishkek, 20 November 2025 — Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja represented Pakistan at the 24th CAREC Ministerial Conference held under the theme Green and Digital, where ministers and development partners discussed regional digital transformation and sustainable connectivity.
On the margins of the conference the minister formalised two memorandum agreements on behalf of the Government of Pakistan. The first establishes the CAREC Innovation and Venture Investment Catalyst Facility to support and develop a new generation of early-stage venture fund managers across the region, strengthening venture capital capacity and innovation pipelines.
The second agreement concerns the Digital Corridor initiative, designed to deepen cross-border digital cooperation and create an alternative, high-capacity, resilient internet transit gateway through Pakistan for Central Asian states. The initiative aims to improve international internet access, reduce costs and latency, and unlock opportunities across digital trade, fintech and e-commerce for CAREC members.
Pakistan underlined its readiness to host regional data centres that adhere to international standards of sustainability, security and performance. With new data infrastructure coming online and access to clean energy resources, Pakistan is positioning itself to support cloud facilities and multi-market services for CAREC countries while building long-term infrastructural resilience.
The CAREC Digital Corridor aligns with Pakistan’s Connect Pakistan 2030 priorities and leverages the country’s existing digital footprint: more than 200 million mobile subscribers, roughly 150 million broadband users, a national fibre backbone exceeding 230,000 kilometres, over 54,000 cellular towers and 20 commercial data centres. Submarine cable capacity has surpassed 16 Tbps and is projected to expand beyond 24 Tbps next year, reinforcing Pakistan’s role as a regional data transit hub linking South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East.
The signing marks a significant step toward deeper regional cooperation. Pakistan welcomed technical collaboration with member countries and the Asian Development Bank and urged a swift move to a full feasibility study to assess the technical and financial requirements needed to implement the Digital Corridor and related initiatives. The government reiterated its commitment to collaborative regional projects that advance a digitally resilient and future-ready CAREC community.
