Hajra Naz
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a new agreement recently. The deal aims to strengthen bilateral cybersecurity cooperation between the two countries. Officials formalized this agreement during the LEAP 2026 tech conference. That event took place in Riyadh. Pakistan’s IT ministry confirmed the news in a statement on Monday.
This memorandum of understanding connects two key government bodies. Specifically, it links Pakistan’s Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication with Saudi Arabia’s National Cybersecurity Authority. IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja signed the agreement. She signed it alongside NCA Governor Engineer Majed Al-Mazyed. The agreement’s goal is to protect cyberspace and vital interests for both countries. Ultimately, both nations want to address emerging cyber threats together, more effectively.
LEAP serves as Saudi Arabia’s flagship technology and innovation conference. It takes place annually. This year’s event ran from August 31 to September 3. It brought together more than 1,800 technology brands from around the world. The conference also attracted 600 startups and 1,900 investors to Riyadh.
Khawaja led the Pakistani delegation at this event. She delivered a keynote titled “How We Built a Digital Nation.” She also held several bilateral meetings with international officials. These included Saudi Arabia’s IT minister. It also included South Korea’s science and ICT minister. Notably, Khawaja met with SDAIA President Abdullah bin Sharaf Alghamdi. That meeting focused on building a broader AI partnership between the two nations.
Read More: Pakistan Brings Its Largest Ever Delegation to LEAP 2026 in Riyadh
This partnership centers on a planned AI Hub. That hub will connect Pakistani firms with Saudi clients directly. Saudi Arabia’s GO Telecom anchors this initiative. The company already launched an AI hub in Islamabad last month. Khawaja described this model clearly in comments to Arab News. She said it involves value creation on both sides. Importantly, it doesn’t involve aid or loans of any kind.
The minister also formally inaugurated the Tech Destination Pakistan Pavilion at the conference. This pavilion featured 25 startups. It also included more than 50 leading Pakistani tech companies. The event delivered concrete results for several startups too. OfficeFlow AI signed an incubation partnership with Dhahran Techno Valley. Meanwhile, education startup Edversity secured a $400,000 investment. That funding came from Rapidev Group.
These deals reflect a growing pattern. Pakistan is pushing further into Saudi tech markets overall. Notably, Pakistani technology exports reached a record $4.6 billion during fiscal year 2026. This new cybersecurity agreement builds on deeper existing ties too.
That includes the Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement, signed back in September 2025. Going forward, both sides plan joint workshops. The goal is aligning Pakistan’s IT strategy with Saudi Vision 2030.
