30. Pakistan Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO). (2024). National space policy. https://suparco. gov.pk/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/National-Space-Policy.pdf 31. Invest2Innovate. (2024). Pakistan Startup Ecosystem Report. Retrieved January 10, 2024, from https://invest2innovate. com/pser-2024/ 32. Ibid. 33. DAWN. (2022, August 25). US firm buys Cloudways for $350m. https://www.dawn.com/news/1706661 34. News Desk. (2024). Pakistan’s IT exports up by 24% to USD 3.2bn in FY24. Profit. https://profit.pakistantoday.com. pk/2024/07/19/pakistans-it-exports-surge-by-24-to-reach-us3-2-billion-in-fy24/#:~:text=Pakistan’s%20Information%20 Technology%20(IT)%20exports,the%20previous%20fiscal’s%20%242.59%20billion 35. Access Partnership. (2024). Economic impact report. Agay Barho: Empowering Pakistan’s digital economy. https://cdn. accesspartnership.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Economic-Impact-Report-Agay-Barho-Empowering-Pakistans- Digital-Economy.pdf?hsCtaTracking=a3e871b7-aac9-41ee-8f42-714015cff33d%7C32b947fd-1b3c-40e0-81e9- ac7d7f6d9547 36. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA). (n.d.). Telecom indicators. Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://www.pta.gov.pk/category/telecom-indicators 37. Khan, A., Fatima, H., & Rashid, N. (2023, April 28). Digital now: A guide to Pakistan’s digital transformation. Tabadlab | Understanding Change. https://tabadlab.com/digital-now-a-guide-to-pakistans-digital-transformation/ 38. Government of Pakistan Ministry of Industries and Production, Engineering Development Board. (2020, May). Mobile device manufacturing policy 2020. https://moip.gov.pk/SiteImage/Misc/files/Mobile%20Policy%20210520-MoIP .pdf 39. Rana, S. (2023, March 18). Still importing to “Make in Pakistan”. The Express Tribune. https://tribune.com.pk/ story/2406698/still-importing-to-make-in-pakistan 40. Special Technology Zones Authority. (n.d.). Policies. Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://www.stza.gov.pk/policies/ 41. Special Economic Zones. (n.d.). Pakistan Economic Survey 2020–21. Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://www.finance.gov.pk/survey/chapters_21/Annex%20III%20SEZones.pdf 42. Special Technology Zones Authority (STZA). (n.d.). Notified zones. Retrieved October 31, 2024, from https://www.stza. gov.pk/notified-zones/ 43. 43 Pakistan Higher Education Commission. (2021, January 1). The Higher Education Commission policy on PhD programs. https://www.hec.gov.pk/english/services/faculty/Plagiarism/Documents/HEC-PhD-Policy.pdf 44. In Pakistan, Tier 1 cities include major urban centres such as Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, which generally have better access to connectivity infrastructure and digital services compared to smaller, less-developed cities (often referred to as Tier 2 or Tier 3). These distinctions are important in reference to digital infrastructure, as tier 1 cities usually enjoy higher internet penetration rates and digital adoption, while other areas lag due to limited infrastructure. 45. The Right of Way (RoW) directive governs permissions and fees required for telecom and internet providers to lay down infrastructure such as optical fibre cables across public and private land. In Pakistan, complex RoW policies often involve multiple layers of permissions, delays and high costs, creating barriers for expanding digital infrastructure. These administrative and financial hurdles discourage investment by making it time-consuming and costly for telecom operators to extend connectivity, especially in underserved areas. Digital FDI Initiative: Digital FDI-Enabling Project in Pakistan 45

Digital FDI Initiative Pakistan 2025