‘New pathway for the future’: Quantum Valley Pakistan launched in Islamabad

'New pathway for the future': Quantum Valley Pakistan introduced in Islamabad.

Key points

• News Desk Published September 16, 2026 Updated September 16, 2026 08: 37pm.
• Uraan Pakistan is an initiative of the Planning Ministry designed to advance key projects and reforms set out in the 5Es National Economic Transformation Plan.
• California's venture capital firm Plug and Play and the Cambridge Innovation Centre collaborated with the administration for the project.
• When the country marks its centenary, he further remarked the economy should grow to $3 trillion by 2047.
• Addressing the launch ceremony, Iqbal remarked, "We are actually setting a new pathway for Pakistan's future".

News Desk Published September 16, 2026 Updated September 16, 2026 08: 37pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

Quantum Valley Pakistan, a project likened to America's Silicon Valley, was introduced in Islamabad on Wednesday, with Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal as the chief guest.

For context, the Planning Ministry described Quantum Valley Pakistan as a project aimed at connecting academia, entrepreneurs, administration and investors to turn "knowledge into solutions, startups into scalable ventures and innovation into national impact".

Notably, the project intends to create new pathways for Pakistani talent in AI, quantum computing, fintech, agritech, biotechnology, medtech, digital solutions and autonomous technologies, the ministry stated.

Addressing the launch ceremony, Iqbal remarked, "We are actually setting a new pathway for Pakistan's future". "Pakistan is ready for innovation takeoff, " he remarked.

He stressed that this was not an ordinary collaboration, adding that the two firms would bring to Pakistan the "best of innovation in the world and the United States".

Describing the collaboration as a "unique opportunity" for Pakistan, Iqbal expressed hope for the expansion of the country's technology sector. He remarked that the paradigm of national progress had shifted in the 21st century, with "brain power" now being a key requirement for development.

Notably, the planning minister continued that the foundations for expansion being established through Quantum Valley would allow Pakistan's youth to compete with the youth of the world in terms of tech expansion and startups.

"Today, we stand at an inflection point, " Iqbal remarked, adding that previously two years, Pakistan had seen numerous successes, namely Marka-I-Haq and recent diplomacy efforts in the US-Iran war.

"In my lifetime, I had never seen that for an entire week, media from the US to Australia was only mentioning Islamabad, " he remarked, referring to the Islamabad negotiations in April.

Successes achieved in defence and diplomacy, if not supplemented by a solid economy, can blur over time, Iqbal stated.

Alluding to Marka-I-Haq, Iqbal remarked the nation had to rise to the occasion of " Marka-I-Taraqi " and aim to build a $1 trillion economy by 2035 under the Uraan Pakistan programme. When the country marks its centenary, he further remarked the economy should grow to $3 trillion by 2047.

Uraan Pakistan is an initiative of the Planning Ministry designed to advance key projects and reforms set out in the 5Es National Economic Transformation Plan. "These goals are ambitious but not impossible, " Iqbal remarked.

Iqbal pressed the nation to move away from the status quo and instead opt for a "transformational path".

In practice, the ceremony additionally included the inauguration of the Global Venture Acceleration Programme for local startups, under which they would receive mentorship over 15 weeks, along with a two-week global immersion in Silicon Valley or Boston.

For now, 'New pathway for the future': Quantum Valley Pakistan launched in Islamabad remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.