Tazeen Akhtar | Islamabad
The country’s premier, state-of-the-art tech ecosystem, the National Technology Park (recently renamed Daanish IT Park), was officially inaugurated in Islamabad by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Located on a 14.9-acre site in Chak Shahzad, the Rs. 23.3 billion ($92.7 million) project has been built with financial assistance from the Exim Bank of South Korea. Ambassador of South Korea Sungho Han was also present at the occasion.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the Prime Minister termed the facility as a milestone towards Pakistan’s progress and prosperity. The Prime Minister named National Technology Park as ‘Daanish Technology Park.’
He emphasized that the IT Park is not merely an infrastructure project but a comprehensive ecosystem integrating incubation centers, industrialists, entrepreneurs, IT experts, academia, SMEs, and tech startups.
Shehbaz Sharif directed the relevant authorities to initiate a transparent bidding process and invite top national and international IT and AI companies to operate the facility. Reaffirming the government’s commitment to youth empowerment, the Prime Minister announced that similar modern and state-of-the-art technology parks will be established across the country, including in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Earlier, addressing the ceremony, Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja reaffirmed the government’s commitment to accelerating Pakistan’s digital transformation.
She said the National Technology Park in Islamabad will serve as a digital business and technology ecosystem. She said the initiative could not have materialized without the steadfast leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Highlighting the government’s digital outreach, the Minister said public-private partnerships have facilitated the establishment of small technology centers in sixty-five districts across the country during last two years.
She said one hundred and thirty-five of these centers are currently providing youth with round-the-clock internet access to polish their skills.
Key Features of Daanish IT Park
• Infrastructure: A massive 12-storey structure consisting of 10 floors above ground and 2 underground basement levels.
• Capacity: It offers custom-designed office space to house over 100 technology companies, startups, and SMEs, supporting nearly 8,400 tech professionals.
• Core Facilities: Integrates tech incubation centers, robotics labs, advanced testing facilities, a Tier III Data Center, and an industry-academia linkage center.
• Amenities: Includes fully operational co-working spaces, automated parking for up to 1,160 vehicles, research centers, an auditorium, daycares, a gym, and dedicated cafes.
