Pakistan, Turkiye explore digital corridor, investment cooperation

July 06, 2026 (MLN): Pakistan and Turkiye moved to deepen economic and investment cooperation as Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif invited Turkish companies to expand their footprint across Pakistan's priority sectors, including energy, mining and minerals, infrastructure, maritime and logistics, information technology, telecommunications, manufacturing, agriculture and privatization.

The two sides also discussed plans for a Pakistan-Turkiye Digital Corridor aimed at strengthening regional digital connectivity and cross-border data flows.

The prime minister held a series of meetings with senior Turkish business executives in Istanbul, including Calik Holding Chairman Ahmet Calik, Albayrak Group Chairman Ahmet Albayrak, and Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkiye (TOBB) President Rifat Hisarciklioglu.

He also met separately with Turkcell CEO Ali Taha Koc, while Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar met OYAK General Manager/CEO Prof Dr Murat Yalcintas and his delegation on the sidelines of the Pakistan-Turkiye Business Conference, according to a press release issued.

During the meetings, the prime minister highlighted the deep-rooted brotherly ties between the two countries and stressed the need to translate their exceptional relationship into a stronger economic and investment partnership.

He emphasized Pakistan's improving macroeconomic fundamentals, an investor-friendly policy framework, and the government's commitment to a transparent, predictable and business-friendly investment environment, noting that the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) continues to provide one-window facilitation and institutional support for strategic investors, in coordination with federal and provincial authorities.

In his meeting with Calik Holding, the prime minister pointed to Pakistan's significant opportunities in energy, infrastructure, information technology and privatization, and welcomed the company's interest in expanding operations, noting that its existing presence through Calik Enerji and GAP Insaat offers a strong foundation for deeper cooperation.

With Albayrak Group, he acknowledged the company's longstanding engagement in Pakistan and encouraged further investment in maritime infrastructure, port modernization and logistics, citing its contribution to the country's connectivity and infrastructure development.

In his meeting with TOBB's president, the prime minister appreciated the organization's continued efforts to strengthen business-to-business engagement between the two countries.

Separately, in his meeting with Turkcell's CEO, the prime minister reaffirmed the government's commitment to a transparent and investment-friendly environment for high-value sectors, particularly information and communication technologies.

He shared the government's vision for a Pakistan-Turkiye Digital Corridor and invited Turkcell to explore long-term collaboration in 5G deployment, network optimization, spectrum management, digital infrastructure and technology transfer.

He further encouraged partnerships in local telecom equipment manufacturing, software development, and digital skills and capacity building, saying such cooperation would strengthen Pakistan's technology ecosystem while generating opportunities for innovation, employment and sustainable growth.

Ali Taha Koc, for his part, appreciated Pakistan's forward-looking digital transformation agenda and expressed Turkcell's interest in exploring collaboration in telecommunications, digital infrastructure and emerging technologies, reaffirming the company's commitment to working with Pakistani stakeholders on mutually beneficial partnerships.

In his meeting with OYAK's leadership, Ishaq Dar discussed expanding investment, strengthening industrial cooperation, and exploring new avenues for strategic economic partnership between the two countries.

Dr Murat and his colleagues, in turn, appreciated Pakistan's economic progress and expressed keen interest in investing in the country.

The meeting was also attended by federal ministers for Maritime, Power, Petroleum, Privatization, and IT and Telecommunications, along with Pakistan's ambassador to Turkiye.

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