KARACHI: Chinese premier Li Qiang could inaugurate operations at a Chinese-funded airport in Pakistan’s Balochistan province during his visit to the country in the coming week, information minister Attaullah Tarar told reporters on Sunday.
The start of operations at the $200-million Gwadar International Airport has been pushed back for a security review after deadly attacks by separatist militants in August in the area, government and aviation sources said.
Li, along with ministers and government officials, will visit Pakistan from Oct. 14 to 17, Pakistan’s foreign affairs ministry said on Sunday.
Pakistan is hosting the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which comprises nine full members, including China, India, Iran and Russia, and is scheduled for Oct. 15 and 16 in Islamabad.
The new airport will handle domestic and international flights, according to Pakistan’s Civil Aviation Authority, and will be one of the country’s biggest airports.
The initial plan was for Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to inaugurate the airport on Aug. 14 alongside Chinese officials, but that was called off after an ethnic Baloch rights group started a sit-in protest, the officials said.
A decades-long insurgency in Balochistan by separatist militant groups has led to frequent attacks against the government, army and Chinese interests in the region to press demands for a share in mineral-rich regional resources.
Two Chinese nationals were killed in an explosion near the international airport of the southern Pakistani city of Karachi last week, the Chinese embassy in Pakistan said.
Separatist militant group the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for the attack, which it said had targeted Chinese nationals, including engineers.
China said on Thursday it would work with Pakistan to protect the safety and security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions in Pakistan.
Besides the separatists, the region is also home to Islamist militants, who have been active again since 2022 after revoking a ceasefire with the government.
Chinese premier could inaugurate Beijing-funded airport in Pakistan during visit
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Chinese premier could inaugurate Beijing-funded airport in Pakistan during visit
- The start of operations at the $200-million Gwadar International Airport has been pushed back after deadly attacks by separatist militants
- Premier Li Qiang, along with ministers and government officials, will visit Pakistan from Oct. 14 to 17, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said
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.
