Inside Pakistan’s IT Power Circle and Its Struggle for Recognition

Pakistan exports code to the world, but it is rarely named among the top global IT players. In office towers from Karachi to Lahore, engineers work behind the scenes on systems they will never be publicly credited for. Payment systems used in Europe, healthcare tools deployed in the United States, logistic softwares running quietly in the Gulf. The work leaves the country in lines of code, stamped with foreign brands and absorbed into products that seldom trace back to where they were once built.

In some cases, this invisibility is reinforced when such contributions are framed under corporate social responsibility initiatives by global tech giants rather than as core commercial output from Pakistani talent. It is a structural imbalance. Pakistan has become a dependable node in the global technology supply chain, valued for execution, speed, and cost efficiency, yet recognition moves in the opposite direction. The output scales, but the visibility does not.

This paradox defines Pakistan’s IT rise: a country exporting technical capability at scale while still seeking acknowledgment as a source of innovation. The growth behind this system has been gradual but consistent. Over the past decade, Pakistan’s IT sector has evolved into one of the country’s more stable sources of foreign exchange. Export revenues have climbed steadily, supported by a transition from fragmented software houses and freelancers into a more structured network. Today, the industry includes large exporters, mid-sized firms, and a vast freelance workforce operating across global channels.

Demographics sit at the center of this expansion. Pakistan’s young population continues to enter the workforce in large numbers, many trained in computer science, engineering, and digital disciplines. This has created a labor pool that is scalable, English-speaking, and adaptable to international clientele demands. Much of this talent is absorbed into outsourcing firms or freelance networks, reinforcing the country’s role as a service provider to global markets. However, this growth has a clear orientation. Demand is largely external, and so is validation.

Pakistan’s IT sector is expanding rapidly, but its trajectory remains shaped more by what it delivers for others than by what it builds for itself.

The individuals driving this sector reflect its layered evolution. Early credibility can be traced to figures like Salim Ghauri, whose work with NetSol Technologies demonstrated that Pakistani firms could compete in complex enterprise software markets. This foundation was scaled further by Asif Peer at Systems Limited, where IT services were transformed into a repeatable, export-driven model embedded within multinational operations.

A more recent shift, however, is visible through leaders like Imran Aftab of 10Pearls, where the focus has expanded beyond execution into consulting and digital transformation. Similarly, Salman Lakhani of Cubix represents the growing importance of branding and global positioning in addition to technical delivery.

Alongside these companies are also contributors such as Jehan Ara, whose work in industry bodies and startup incubation has focused on policy advocacy and community development rather than a single enterprise.

Within this mix is Muhammad Burhan Mirza, a growing entrepreneur involved in multiple IT companies and early-stage ventures. His work spans investment, advisory, and platform-building, reflecting a shift from focusing on a single company to engaging across a wider network of businesses. Alongside his startup involvement, he has developed initiatives such as The Coach360 and Skills360, which are positioned around mentorship and digital skills training.

These platforms aim to equip students and young professionals with practical, market-relevant capabilities, with a focus on improving employability and creating pathways into the technology sector. Through this approach, his model combines business participation with workforce development, linking entrepreneurial activity with broader efforts to support job creation for young graduates.

Together, these figures do not form a traditional class of tycoons. Instead, they map the evolution of Pakistan’s IT sector itself, from early credibility and enterprise scale to branding, ecosystem development, and capital-backed growth. This creates a gap between growth and influence. Revenues rise, teams expand, and global footprints increase, yet Pakistan remains largely absent from conversations around category-defining technologies. It contributes to the infrastructure of innovation but is not always recognized as its origin.

Capital is also adapting. Early-stage investors and operators, including figures like Muhammad Burhan Mirza, are focusing on founder development, scalability, and long-term positioning. Incubators, accelerators, and content platforms are converging to support faster idea execution and a more risk-tolerant environment.

For now, the country continues to build systems it does not own and scale products it did not create. The capability is established. The question that remains is whether intent will follow.

Is Pakistan building technological power, or simply renting it out, one contract at a time?