‘All Optics, No Implementation’: MOITT Fails to Launch a Single Initiative Under National AI Policy

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MOITT) has gone totally silent on the implementation of Pakistan’s National Artificial Intelligence Policy 2025. Despite ambitious claims in July about leading the country into an “AI-powered future”, a rigorous audit of the policy document against on-ground realities reveals a troubling picture: nearly every major initiative promised in the official text has not even started.

Background discussions with government officials reveal a damning reality. Sources indicate that AI policy implementation appears to be the “least priority” for the government, leaving the comprehensive framework approved by the Federal Cabinet on July 30, 2025, effectively paralysed.

MOITT Policy Paralysed: The Missing Pillars

The National AI Policy document lays out a sophisticated six-pillar strategy. However, as of December 6, 2025, the core components of these pillars remain entirely theoretical.

Pillar I: The Financial Void (AI Innovation Ecosystem)

The policy explicitly mandated establishing a National AI Fund (NAIF) to support R&D and commercialisation. It required Ignite to allocate at least 30% of its R&D Fund to this initiative on a perpetual basis.

• Status: There is nothing on the ground. Ignite’s latest records show no framework, no funding setup, and no calls for proposals related to the NAIF.
• Venture Fund: A dedicated Venture Fund to bridge the post-seed financing gap for startups remains unformed. The promised advisory services and capital access for founders have not materialised.

Pillar III: The Governance Black Hole (Secure AI Ecosystem)

This pillar promised a “Secure AI Ecosystem” built on trust and regulation.

• Regulatory Sandboxes: The policy targeted the creation of Regulatory Sandboxes to allow enterprises to test AI in a controlled environment. To date, no such sandboxes have been initiated.
• Public Register & Data Policy: mandates for a “Public Register of AI Systems” and a “National Data Security Policy” to ensure transparency and privacy have been ignored.

Pillar V: The Infrastructure Deficit

Perhaps the most critical failure lies in the AI Infrastructure pillar.

• National AI Compute Grid: The policy promised a nationwide grid of High-Performance Computing (HPC) centres equipped with GPUs to fuel research. No procurement plans or infrastructure projects have been announced.
• National Data Repository: The envisioned centralised repository for high-quality datasets remains a concept on paper, leaving local AI models without the fuel they need to train.

Governance in Limbo: The Missing Council

The policy document outlines a specific “Policy Implementation Mechanism” on Page 19, centring on two bodies:

1. National AI Council: The apex decision-making body tasked with steering the nation’s AI strategy.
2. Policy Implementation Cell: A dedicated unit within MOITT to manage day-to-day operations.

As of today, the AI Council remains unformed, and there is no clarity on the existence of the Policy Implementation Cell. Consequently, the policy’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), such as training targets and startup funding, are being completely ignored.

MOITT: Optics Over Execution

While the Ministry participated in high-profile events like the unveiling of a “Digital Sector Roadmap” in November 2025, industry leaders view this as “optics” rather than genuine execution. The specific, hard-coded mandates of the AI Policy, funding, infrastructure, and regulation, remain untouched.

One prominent tech executive described MOITT’s performance as a policy launched for optics, not implementation.

The cost of this inertia is high. While Pakistan stalls, regional competitors are racing ahead. Iran, despite sanctions, recently legislated a National AI Organisation with $885 million in initial capital. India is actively executing its “IndiaAI Mission” with tangible compute procurement.

Without immediate intervention to operationalise the National AI Fund and gazette the AI Council, Pakistan risks missing the Fourth Industrial Revolution entirely. The silence from the Ministry is no longer just an administrative delay… It is a strategic crisis.