LAHORE: A Pakistani court has ordered the release of opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif on bail, months after he was arrested over alleged links to a multi-million dollar housing scam.
Thursday’s court order was announced in the eastern city of Lahore.
Sharif was arrested in October on charges that he abused power during his tenure as the chief minister of Punjab from 2013 to 2018.
Pakistan’s anti-graft body claims he influenced authorities to award contracts for a housing program for low-income citizens to a company with which he had political connections.
Sharif, who is leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, or lower house of parliament, denies any wrongdoing.
He is the younger brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was disqualified from office in 2017 over corruption charges.
Pakistani court orders Shehbaz Sharif’s release on bail
Pakistani court orders Shehbaz Sharif’s release on bail
- Opposition leader, who was arrested in October 2018, denies any wrongdoing
- Has been accused of abusing power during his tenure as Punjab CM
Pakistan digital authority partners with Swiss-based group on sovereign cloud, AI systems
- Deal aims to keep sensitive data in-country as Pakistan seeks to reduce reliance on foreign cloud providers
- Partnership includes national messaging app, AI platform access and plans for a local DFINITY presence
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s digital regulator has signed a partnership with Swiss-based non-profit DFINITY Foundation to develop sovereign cloud infrastructure and AI-native software systems, according to an official statement issued on Tuesday.
The agreement between the Pakistan Digital Authority, the government body overseeing the country’s digital transformation, and DFINITY seeks to ensure sensitive public data remains within the country while enabling tamper-resistant software, national-scale digital services and artificial intelligence applications without reliance on foreign cloud providers.
As part of the collaboration, DFINITY will support the creation of a Pakistan-specific subnet on its Internet Computer Platform, a sovereign cloud network designed to host secure government applications and AI-powered systems.
The partnership also includes plans to pilot a national messaging application, expand access to DFINITY’s AI software platform Caffeine, and roll out capacity-building initiatives across government, education and entrepreneurship.
“This partnership marks an important step in Pakistan’s digital evolution,” said Dr. Sohail Munir, chairperson of the Pakistan Digital Authority, in the statement issued by the authority.
“By investing in sovereign cloud infrastructure and modern AI‑ready platforms, we are strengthening national resilience, supporting innovation, and creating new opportunities for our public institutions, students, and entrepreneurs,” he continued.
DFINITY, which describes itself as a research organization, said the agreement would allow Pakistan to develop and operate cloud and AI services under its own control.
The foundation has also committed to establishing a local presence in Pakistan and providing 1,500 licenses for its Caffeine platform, which enables users to build and deploy applications using natural language commands.
“Pakistan is taking a forward‑looking approach to digital infrastructure,” said Dominic Williams, founder and chief scientist at the organization.
“By establishing a Pakistan Subnet and investing in sovereign, tamper‑proof systems, the country is laying the groundwork for software and AI applications that are secure, verifiable, and built to serve national priorities,” he added.
The Pakistan Digital Authority was established under the Digital Nation Pakistan Act 2025 and is mandated to oversee digital policy, data and AI governance and national digital infrastructure across federal and provincial institutions.
DFINITY, founded in 2016, operates from Zurich and San Francisco and focuses on distributed systems, cryptography and advanced computing.
