By Muhammad Zeeshan
TWA
Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal, met with senior officials on Wednesday to talk about where things stand with Quantum Valley Pakistan — a big, forward-looking project that hopes to push Pakistan into the future of quantum technology.
People from the Ministries of Planning, IT, and Science and Technology were there, along with reps from Ignite. Dr. Najeeb Ullah, who’s the Member for Science and Technology, laid out the plan and explained how the project is expected to roll out, and why it matters for the country’s tech landscape.
Speaking at the meeting, Ahsan Iqbal called Quantum Valley Pakistan the most transformative techno-national initiative in the country’s history. He emphasized the project’s focus on civil-military fusion in R&D, targeting Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 3 to 6 to fast-track innovation, industrialization, and self-reliance in high-tech sectors.
The Valley will host advanced science parks specializing in emerging fields like agri-tech, biotechnology, materials science, and minerals, creating an ecosystem where academia, industry, and government collaborate.
The strategic framework for the initiative has been co-developed with the St John’s Innovation Centre at the University of Cambridge, a globally recognized hub for tech enterprise. The collaboration was initiated during Ahsan Iqbal’s recent visit to the UK, aimed at building UK–Pakistan ties in research and industrial innovation.
“This marks a key milestone under the STED (Science, Technology, and Engineering for Development) program,” the minister stated. He recalled previous initiatives like Vision 2010, 10,000 PhD scholarships, and the establishment of national tech centres that laid the groundwork for today’s integrated innovation push.
The minister directed that all stakeholders, including the Ministry of Defence, work jointly to implement Quantum Valley Pakistan, marking a crucial step toward transforming Pakistan into a globally competitive, knowledge-driven economy.
