��������Ƶ

ISLAMABAD: A recently held Pakistan-US Tech Investment Conference in California yielded initial commitments of over $20 million by US-based companies led by Pakistani American entrepreneurs, state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported this week, describing the development as a “pivotal moment” for the country’s information technology sector.
The event was inaugurated by Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Rizwan Saeed Sheikh on Sunday and was organized by the Pakistani Consulate in Los Angeles. It was supported by Pakistan’s Ministry of IT & Telecom, Ministry of Commerce, Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) and the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP).
The conference was held at Stanford University and drew a broad range of participants, including IT firms, venture capitalists, tech professionals and prominent members of the Pakistani diaspora, the APP reported. Government officials and journalists were also in attendance. 
“A Pakistan-US Tech Investment Conference, held in California, on Sunday, marked a pivotal moment for Pakistan’s IT sector with an initial commitment of over $20 million by American companies led by Pakistani-American entrepreneurs,” APP reported on Monday. 

Pakistan’s IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja reiterated the government’s unwavering commitment to advancing the IT sector and achieving an ambitious $25 billion export target during her keynote address. She highlighted strategic initiatives fostering an investor-friendly environment, urging the Pakistani diaspora to seize these opportunities, the state-run media said. 
“Ms. Khawaja said Pakistan’s IT sector was thriving, with exports already exceeding $3 billion,” APP said. “She noted that the government remained fully committed to supporting the IT industry, fostering innovation, and ensuring that the momentum continues to fuel both technological and economic progress.”

The conference featured projects in diverse areas including artificial intelligence, fintech, health tech, e-commerce and software development. These initiatives were aimed at generating employment, attracting foreign investment and seamlessly integrating Pakistan’s IT landscape into the global market.
Sheikh urged American businesses to explore Pakistan’s vibrant market and called on the Pakistani-American tech community to act as a bridge for deeper economic collaboration between the two countries. He also addressed common misconceptions, reaffirming Pakistan’s reputation as a flourishing investment destination which he said was also being recognized at the global level.
The PSEB delegation, led by its chief executive officer, included 11 Pakistani startups. A representative from the US State Department’s economic team for Pakistan also attended the event, reinforcing bilateral support from Washington, the state media said. 

While Pakistan collaborates with countries such as ��������Ƶ and others in IT frequently, its IT exports face significant challenges due to Internet connectivity issues stemming from firewall installations to regulate content and social media platforms. This hinders local tech firms’ ability to communicate with international clients and results in delayed deliveries, loss of business opportunities and a tarnished reputation for Pakistan’s IT industry, ultimately stifling growth and costing millions of rupees in losses.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Baku, Azerbaijan on Tuesday to attend the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP29), where the premier said Pakistan would present its climate priorities and call for commitments that usher in “real, measurable impact.”
The annual UN climate summit, which opened on Monday, is expected to see tough talks on finance and trade, following a year of weather disasters that have emboldened developing countries in their demands for climate cash. Nearly 200 countries are gathering for the summit, where reaching a consensus for a deal among so many will be difficult.
Sharif will address the World Leaders Climate Action Summit on Nov. 13, while he will also attend several high-level events on the sidelines of the summit and hold bilateral meetings with world leaders, Pakistan’s foreign office said in an earlier statement. 
“Just landed in Baku, a city that beautifully bridges cultures and continents — symbolizing the unity we need to overcome our shared climate challenges,” Sharif wrote on social media platform X. “At #COP29, Pakistan will present its climate priorities, calling for commitments that bring real, measurable impact.” 

Pakistan is ranked the 5th most vulnerable country to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index. In 2022, devastating floods killed over 1,700 people and affected over 33 million, with economic losses exceeding $30 billion. International donors last January committed over $9 billion to help Pakistan recover from the ruinous floods but little of that cash has yet to trickle in, according to officials.
Pakistan also regularly faces other climate change-induced effects such as droughts, cyclones, torrential rainstorms and heatwaves. Currently, record-high air pollution levels have triggered hundreds of hospitalizations, school closures and stay-at-home orders in the eastern city of Lahore and other cities in the populous Punjab province, which has been enveloped in a thick, toxic smog since last month.
A mix of low-grade fuel emissions from factories and vehicles, exacerbated by agricultural stubble burning, blanket Lahore and its surroundings each winter, trapped by cooler temperatures and slow-moving winds. The city of 14 million people stuffed with factories on the border with India regularly ranks among the world’s most polluted cities, but it has hit record levels this month, as has New Delhi.
“At the COP29, Pakistan will call for balanced and ambitious progress on all issues such as loss and damage, adaptation, mitigation and means of implementation. It will seek predictable financing to address developing countries’ climate goals,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in an earlier statement. 
“Pakistan will also underscore the historical responsibility and the principle of Equity and Common but Differentiated Responsibility and call on developed nations to undertake deeper emission cuts.”
Officials said this month Pakistan will urge developed countries at COP29, being held from Nov. 11 till Nov. 22, to fulfill past pledges and provide easy access to climate funding without attaching conditions.
“Pakistan is very clear on our stance on what we need from all the developed countries when it comes to the pledges, one, they need to complete their pledges, they need to fulfill their pledges, and two, easy access to the fundings,” Romina Khurshid Alam, PM Shehbaz Sharif’s coordinator on climate change, told Arab News in an interview on Nov. 8.