Sixteen Pakistani IT firms presented their products and services to American businesses at the “Pakistan-US Tech Connect 2026” in Washington, D.C., an event organised by the Pakistani Embassy in the US capital. The embassy staged the programme with the Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunication, OPEN Global and the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB). Its stated purpose was to build direct contact between leading Pakistani technology companies and their American counterparts.
The gathering was designed as an executive networking session to identify possible collaborations in product creation, digital transformation, corporate solutions and strategic IT cooperation. Senior executives from the sixteen firms work in fields including artificial intelligence, cloud computing, data analytics, fintech and healthcare technology, and they took part in the delegation.
Attendees and aims of the Washington programme
Syed Nehal Hashmi, the governor of Pakistan’s Sindh province, was among the notable attendees. Executives from the Pakistani American business community, government agencies, multilateral organisations and major US technology and financial companies also attended.
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The organisers said the programme aimed to turn Pakistan’s growing IT export capacity into long-term business partnerships. It relied on organised executive panel discussions and planned business-to-business meetings, which they described as making technology a core part of Pakistan-US economic engagement.
Ambassador Sheikh frames technology as the next stage of ties
Ambassador Rizwan Saeed Sheikh welcomed attendees and described the series as a crucial step in establishing Pakistan as a significant contributor and US partner in a fast-changing global technology landscape. He said the showcase was meant to present top-tier Pakistani firms.
“The current showcase focuses on presenting top-tier Pakistani firms and aims to display the ‘best and brightest’ from the Pakistani tech industry directly to stakeholders in Washington, D.C.,” Ambassador Sheikh said. He added that the event aimed to show the country’s IT capability and its ability to meet international standards in evolving fields such as AI.
Ambassador Sheikh also described the bilateral relationship between Pakistan and the United States as historically deep and highly consequential, presenting IT cooperation as its next promising area. He said that whenever the two countries had worked together, they had produced results for themselves and for the wider world.
He also called for a shift in bilateral priorities, away from traditional security concerns. “A key goal is to make a transition in the bilateral relationship from ‘CT to IT,’ moving from counterterrorism to information technology,” he said.
Ambassador Sheikh further argued that Pakistan had become an emerging factor in regional and global stability. He said the country’s potential was most visible in the digital domain.
Panel discussions point to a shift toward proprietary products
In his address, Governor Hashmi stressed that US enterprises look for trusted partners able to deliver long-term value. He urged the delegation to turn its digital capabilities into concrete outcomes, including qualified business opportunities, pilot projects and high-value contracts.
PSEB Chief Executive Officer Faisal Jeddy, Ignite CEO Bilal Abbasi and Hassan Khalid, president of the OPEN Global DC Chapter, highlighted the rapid expansion of Pakistan’s technology sector. They said Pakistan offers vast technical talent, while the United States presents wide market opportunities for scalable growth.
During the panels, speakers also addressed a strategic transition within the sector. They said the industry is moving away from routine IT services and labour arbitrage toward building proprietary intellectual property and scalable product innovations. According to the speakers, this shift has positioned Pakistan as a high-value, competitive collaborator in the global tech ecosystem.
As the ceremony closed, Ambassador Sheikh said “Pakistan has arrived” and called the moment the “Pakistan moment,” praising the delegation’s companies as capable representations of the country’s potential. He invited foreign partners to “come and profit from the promise of Pakistan.” He said companies are first drawn in by competitive prices, but that the high calibre of Pakistani tech expertise is what secures long-term commitment. He also urged the audience to help redefine and rebrand Pakistan on the international stage.
