Kazakhstan and Pakistan Expand IT Cooperation

Islamabad, June 5, 2025 – A meeting was held between the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Pakistan, Yerzhan Kistafin, and the Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunications of Pakistan, Shaza Fatima Khawaja.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the current state and prospects of bilateral cooperation in the fields of digitalization and information technology.

Ambassador Kistafin emphasized that advocating the digital agenda and adopting advanced technologies are among the key priorities of Kazakhstan’s state policy. He expressed interest in establishing direct contacts between relevant agencies and IT companies of both countries, particularly in such areas as e-government (eGov) and the development of IT platforms.

In the course of the conversation, the Ambassador briefed the Pakistani side on the outcomes of the 13th session of the Kazakhstan-Pakistan joint Intergovernmental Commission, held in Islamabad, and the business forum held in Karachi on April, 2025. He highlighted a number of signed documents, including 10 memorandums of understanding, the Kazakhstan-Pakistan University Forum, and the educational exhibition “Study in Kazakhstan”.

Federal Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja expressed strong interest in expanding cooperation with Kazakhstan in the IT and digitalization sectors, particularly noting areas such as eGov, online payments, FinTech, joint development projects, and the commercialization of IT startups.

The Minister stressed the importance of creating joint IT projects and strengthening linkages between innovation hubs, IT universities, and technology platforms of the two countries. She proposed giving the cooperation a more focused and practical dimension, including through organizing joint IT exhibitions, developing e-commerce, and implementing digital solutions in the transport and logistics sector.

The parties agreed to work on practical steps to expand bilateral cooperation, including holding regular meetings of the Special Working Group on IT.