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Tag: shehbaz sharif

  • Pakistan Accelerates Alibaba Projects Under $1 Billion AI Strategy

    Pakistan Accelerates Alibaba Projects Under $1 Billion AI Strategy

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed federal ministries to accelerate joint projects with Alibaba Group to drive agricultural exports and digital trade, tying the initiative to the country’s plan to invest $1 billion in artificial intelligence by 2030.

    Chairing a progress review in Islamabad, Sharif instructed relevant ministries to complete all necessary measures by November following a memorandum of understanding signed at Alibaba’s Hangzhou headquarters in May.

    Under the trade measures, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority is rolling out a two-year programme with Alibaba to grant local businesses access to international buyers and training. Trade documentation is now handled through the operational Pakistan Single Window digital verification system, alongside a dedicated Pakistan pavilion established on Alibaba’s platform to market domestic products internationally.

    Automating Fresh Produce Shipments

    For fresh produce exporters, the collaboration introduces artificial intelligence tools designed to monitor crop quality and streamline clearance. State bodies are rolling out digital export platforms specifically for citrus fruits and olives. The system uses automated track-and-trace technology alongside crop modeling, aiming to cut border clearance delays that frequently spoil perishable shipments.

    Automation is also extending into domestic commodity oversight. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority received Alibaba analytics tools to monitor the movement of petroleum products, while tobacco supply chains are adopting similar tracking systems to curb undocumented trade.

    Alibaba’s Frontier Market Play

    Alibaba’s deepening presence in South Asia demonstrates how the Chinese marketplace operator uses sovereign agreements to secure wholesale merchant bases. Rather than competing directly in localized consumer app delivery, the Hangzhou company is anchoring its cloud and trade rails directly into national export architecture. This mirrors business-to-business models Alibaba deployed across Southeast Asia, locking regional manufacturing and farming cohorts onto its international marketplaces.

    For local exporters and suppliers, the state-backed setup reduces the costs of entering overseas marketplaces. The real vulnerability rests on compliance and infrastructure readiness inside Pakistan. Previous government e-commerce portals struggled with shipment delays, clearing snags, and fragmented digital banking channels that deter foreign wholesale purchasers.

    Hangzhou Pacts Take Concrete Shape

    The operational review follows a memorandum of understanding signed during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s four-day visit to China in May. That agreement pledged closer cooperation across artificial intelligence, enterprise software, and international commerce, coinciding with Pakistan’s backing of the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar signed the formal charter establishing that multilateral body in Shanghai in July.

    Ministries face a November deadline to submit verifiable progress reports to the Prime Minister’s Office detailing SME enrolments, pipeline analytics deployments, and farm export shipments moving through the new trade corridor.

  • Islamabad Police Deploys 50 BYD Atto 2 Electric SUVs for Capital Patrol

    Islamabad Police Deploys 50 BYD Atto 2 Electric SUVs for Capital Patrol

    Islamabad police deployed 50 BYD Atto 2 electric sport utility vehicles across the Pakistani capital, establishing a dedicated 200-officer patrol unit. The fleet cost 7.29 million Pakistani rupees per vehicle and will cut monthly municipal fuel spending by roughly 34 million rupees.

    Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif transferred the vehicle keys on 8 September to Federal Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi and Inspector General of Islamabad Police Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi. The rollout equips the newly formed Capital Patrol force to handle urban surveillance and emergency calls.

    Fleet deployment and financial return

    Municipal calculations indicate the monthly fuel savings will recover the capital outlay for each vehicle in ten and a half months. Lower operational expenses allow the department to reallocate budget lines from fuel procurement to frontline equipment and maintenance.

    Police leadership expects the electric fleet to improve urban response times across Islamabad. Rapid torque delivery from electric powertrains and reduced maintenance downtime give city patrols higher daily availability than aging internal combustion units.

    Powertrain and battery specifications

    The deployed Atto 2 models run on a single powertrain configuration. A front-mounted permanent magnet synchronous motor generates 130 kW of power and 290 Nm of torque, allowing acceleration from zero to 100 kilometres per hour in 7.9 seconds.

    Energy storage relies on a 45.12 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery pack. The system delivers an operating range of up to 380 kilometres under NEDC testing standards, and fast charging restores battery capacity from 30 per cent to 80 per cent in 30 minutes.

    Local assembly plans in Sindh

    The municipal procurement aligns with BYD’s manufacturing roadmap in Pakistan through its local partner, Mega Motor Company. Mega Motor, an associate of power producer Hub Power Company, is building a vehicle assembly plant in Gharo, Sindh.

    Establishing domestic production enables the Chinese automaker to lower import tariffs and compete aggressively against traditional Japanese vehicle assemblers that dominate Pakistan’s passenger market. Fleet deals with government agencies provide stable initial volumes while retail distribution develops.

    Commercial network expansion

    Mega Motor plans to complete construction of the Gharo assembly facility by the end of 2026. The Atto 2 serves as the primary candidate for initial local assembly lines once production begins.

    Watch the rollout of charging infrastructure along capital patrol routes and the completion timeline for the Sindh factory ahead of the late 2026 manufacturing target.