Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan visited the Pakistan Industrial Technical Assistance Centre in Lahore and announced the establishment of a state-of-the-art AI Centre to modernize Pakistan’s industrial landscape. The new facility at PITAC is aimed at equipping technicians and youth with advanced AI skills relevant to manufacturing and automation.
Mr Khan said the AI Centre will be expanded to all provinces in line with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s vision to drive industrial growth through innovation and technical capacity building. The Prime Minister has directed the launch of nationwide AI skills programmes and satellite AI Centres to prepare young professionals for modern industry requirements.
For AI development and machinery upgradation, PITAC, the Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation and TUSDEC will jointly establish a dedicated funding mechanism to support modernization across sectors. The financing arrangement, with initial backing from PIDC, will enable targeted investments in equipment and training at PITAC and partner sites.
PITAC’s machinery upgradation is expected to strengthen skills development for small and medium enterprises, helping them meet global industrial standards and boosting import substitution. PITAC has formally requested an increase in its grant allocation to address upgradation challenges and expand its manufacturing of industrial tools and machines at the local level.
Under the upcoming National Industrial Policy, both PIDC and PITAC will be further empowered to support innovation, local manufacturing and technical advancement. Mr Khan highlighted PITAC’s role in producing industrial machinery domestically and praised recent student achievements, noting admissions secured by PITAC trainees in Scotland, China and other countries as evidence of high-quality technical education.
Mr Khan instructed SMEDA and PITAC to prepare a comprehensive business plan in collaboration with chambers of commerce for AI centres, machinery upgradation and skill development programmes. During his visit he inspected various PITAC laboratories, lauded their performance and acknowledged the centre’s strengths in industrial automation, programmable logic controllers, dies and moulds, gauges and fixtures.
He announced PIDC financing for the new AI Centre at PITAC and endorsed the upgradation of key machines and facilities, saying these interventions will deepen industry–academia linkages and enhance both export-oriented capacity and import substitution efforts. He also awarded a cash prize to a student who demonstrated outstanding performance and reiterated that Pakistan’s skilled youth are the country’s greatest asset and will lead the next industrial revolution.
