Expanding Pakistan’s IT Footprint: Strategic Directions for International Market Access

Pakistan’s IT and ITeS sector has seen unprecedented growth over the last few years. The sector has sustained double-digit export growth despite macroeconomic crisis, hyperinflation and the onset of AI-driven disruption to the global IT services industry. This study draws on: transaction-level SBP Balance of Payments data for FY2021–FY2025, the SECP database of registered IT companies; IGNITE programme data; HEC enrollment and graduate statistics, a structured survey of senior executives, stakeholder interviews and focus group discussions with freelancers, startups and captive office operators. The study identifies seven structural challenges and provides a set of policy responses, under the SCALE framework, designed to address them.