Infrastructure Snapshot 2024-2026
Major Accelerators & Incubators Active programs
Provincial IT Boards Government support
Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB)
Plan9: Punjab's flagship incubator. 1,000+ startups graduated since 2015. Multiple cohorts in Lahore with focus on ICT, e-governance, fintech.
Lahore Technology Park: Largest IT infrastructure project in Punjab under PITB coordination.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa IT Board (KPITB)
Pakistan Digital City Haripur: 86-acre tech park, the largest in KP. Houses NRTC STZ, BPO centres, and the Digital City complex.
Bannu Tech Park: MoU with PSEB + UST to establish IT park in southern KP — rural tech development.
Sindh Information Department
Karachi Tech Hub: Emerging tech infrastructure at SITE area, near Software Technology Park.
Pakistan Maritime STP: Karachi STZ focused on maritime tech (already operational).
Ignite (National Technology Fund)
Federal fund under MoITT. Funds R&D, startups, training programs. National Grassroots ICT Research Initiative, Digital Pakistan Policy, Skills for All.
STZA Special Technology Zones 13 zones · 4 provinces
| Zone | Province | Status | Size (Acres) | Sq Ft | Launch | Focus |
|---|
STZA Tax & Operational Benefits
- ✅ 10-year tax holiday on income for zone enterprises
- ✅ Customs duty exemption on capital goods imports
- ✅ Sales tax exemption on goods procured by zones
- ✅ Special Foreign Exchange Account — exporters can retain 100% of export proceeds in USD
- ✅ One-stop facilitation for visas, electricity, utilities
- ✅ No minimum foreign investment requirement
International Partnerships Cross-border acceleration
🇺🇸 US Tech Partnerships
Pakistani-American executives regularly visit NIC LUMS and other incubators via OPEN Seattle delegation. Y Combinator has backed multiple Pakistani-founded startups. Diaspora VC Syndicate (Pakistani-American VCs) actively deploys capital into Pakistani startups.
🇬🇧 UK & EU
UK-Pakistan Tech Bridge facilitates startup collaboration. Antler (UK-based) has invested in Pakistani founders. UK govt's Chevening scholarships feed senior leadership into the ecosystem.
🇸🇦 Saudi / GCC
SIFC (Special Investment Facilitation Council) coordinates Saudi-Pakistan IT trade. PSEB facilitating consortiums for Saudi market entry. Saudi-Pakistan Vision 2030 partnership targets IT exports.
🇨🇳 China
PSEB + Pakistan Embassy coordinate IT exhibitions in China (e.g., Shenzhen). BYD NEV Production Zone in Sindh under construction. Chinese tech training programmes active.
Diaspora Capital — Roshan Digital Account $9B+ deposits
Launched by SBP in September 2020, the Roshan Digital Account allows overseas Pakistanis to open PKR-denominated bank accounts remotely. Over 1 million accounts opened with USD 9 billion+ in deposits, used for:
- PSX stock market investment (Naya Pakistan Certificates + equity)
- Real estate purchase (subject to remittance rules)
- SME lending and startup investment (recent addition)
- Government bond purchases
Diaspora funding complements VC: Fin.com's $20M seed (2026) led by Pakistani-born founder Mustafa Dar — illustrates the diaspora-capital bridge.
Sources Verification
- STZA — Notified Zones (last updated 22 June 2026)
- STZA Official Site
- Bloom Pakistan — PSEB 20,711 IT Companies (May 2025)
- PITB Plan9 — punjab.gov.pk/pitb
- KPITB Digital City — kpitb.gov.pk
- LUMS Centre for Entrepreneurship — lce.lums.edu.pk