SHANGHAI / ISLAMABAD — In a historic milestone for Pakistan’s digital and diplomatic landscape, the country has formally joined the newly established World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) as a Founding Member.
The definitive accord was signed in Shanghai, China, by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on behalf of Pakistan. The high-profile signing ceremony brings Pakistan into an exclusive cohort of 29 founding nations shaping the independent intergovernmental body dedicated to safe, fair, and beneficial global AI development.
Spotlighting Pakistan at WAIC 2026
Following the treaty signing, a high-level Pakistani delegation took part in the grand opening ceremony of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) and the parallel High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance. The flagship conference was personally addressed by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Representing regional and federal tech apparatuses, the prominent Pakistani delegation featured:
- Ali Dar: Advisor to the Chief Minister of Punjab on AI & Special Initiatives and Head of The Office of AI.
- Shaza Khawaja: Federal Minister for IT & Telecommunications.
- Bilal Bin Saqib MBE: Chairman of the Pakistan Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (PVARA).
Shaping the Future of Global AI Governance
Securing a founding member status grants Pakistan an active, direct hand in engineering international AI regulations, safety protocols, and cross-border research pipelines. This comes at a critical juncture when access to compute infrastructure and technological sovereignty are projected to dictate macroeconomic competitiveness for decades to come.
From the platform, Pakistan pledged to aggressively champion the priorities of the Global South, advocating for equitable access to open-source models, bridging the international digital divide, and ensuring that emerging technologies promote inclusive development rather than monopolized wealth.
Scaling the Punjab Model onto the World Stage
For The Office of AI, Pakistan’s entry into WAICO represents a seamless global extension of the structural tech overhauls already happening at the provincial level.
Under the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the province has been aggressively building out its sovereign AI footprint. Local initiatives focused on smart governance, data localization, and precision agriculture will now be bridged with cutting-edge global networks, positioning Pakistan to absorb best practices from the very frontline where the future of AI is being decided.
