ISLAMABAD, 24 JULY (DNA) — Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Friday said Pakistan’s future economic competitiveness depends on the adoption of robotics, automation and other emerging technologies, stressing that industrial automation is no longer a choice but a necessity.
Speaking at the closing ceremony of the two-day Indus RAS (Robotics and Autonomous Systems) Expo 2026 at the Pak-China Friendship Centre in Islamabad, the minister said, “If Pakistan wants to remain economically competitive, every traditional industry must move towards automation.”
She added that reducing taxes or energy costs alone would not be enough unless industries integrated robotics and automation into manufacturing, agriculture and supply chains.
Shaza said the Indus RAS (Robotics and Autonomous Systems) Expo 2026 attracted more than 20,000 visitors, including children, students, researchers, policymakers, industry leaders and technology professionals. She said the large and diverse turnout reflected growing national interest in robotics and autonomous technologies and demonstrated Pakistan’s expanding technological capabilities.
Shaza Fatima credited the successful organisation of the expo to the leadership of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, saying his support for the technology sector and recognition of digital technologies as an enabler of the entire economy had helped accelerate progress in the country’s digital transformation agenda. She thanked the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, the National Technology Fund (Ignite), the National Centre for Robotics and Automation, industry partners and young innovators for making the event a success.
The minister said the global economy was rapidly transitioning from an industrial economy to a knowledge-based economy driven by artificial intelligence, semiconductors, quantum computing, blockchain and robotics. Describing robotics and autonomous systems as the practical application of advanced digital technologies, she said the Indus RAS Expo built on the momentum generated by the recently held Indus AI Week.
Shaza Fatima said the expo was not merely about entertainment through immersive experiences, simulators and Robo Wars, but about initiating a national conversation on sustainable economic growth. She warned that countries failing to embrace automation risked losing their competitiveness, noting that fully automated “dark factories” operating without human labour had already become a reality in several parts of the world. — DNA
