Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja has received the international Industry Champion of the Year 2026 award at the Fast Mode Awards 2026.
The award recognises her contribution to Pakistan’s digital development and the growth of its information technology sector.
Reportedly, more than 500 companies from over 60 countries participated in the awards. The Industry Champion of the Year title is presented to only one leader worldwide each year.
Pakistan records growth in IT exports
Pakistan’s IT and IT-enabled services (ITeS) exports reportedly reached a record $4.6 billion during the financial year 2025-26, under Shaza Fatima’s leadership.
The IT sector also recorded a trade surplus of $3.9 billion, placing it ahead of other service industries.
Freelancers generated approximately $1.76 billion in export earnings, while the number of registered and active freelancers exceeded 2.37 million.
Another major development was the completion of Pakistan’s largest 5G and Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) spectrum auction in March 2026. The country’s total allocated spectrum reached 750 MHz.
Pakistan also became the first Asian country to eliminate right-of-way charges for fibre-optic deployment, aiming to make broadband expansion faster and more affordable.
Digital training and international recognition
Google officially registered its operations in Pakistan and established its first local office. The company also introduced a local Chromebook assembly initiative with a reported annual production capacity of 600,000 devices.
Meanwhile, more than 4.5 million young Pakistanis have received free digital training through the DigiSkills programme, including approximately 800,000 women.
According to GSMA, Pakistan reduced the gender gap in mobile internet use from 38 percent to 8 percent.
The country also reportedly improved its position by 27 places in the International Telecommunication Union’s ICT Development Index 2026.
