&w=3840&q=100)
Microsoft shuts shop in Pakistan after 25 years amid instability, security concerns
Global tech giant Microsoft has decided to shut down its operations in Pakistan after 25 years of operating in the country. The announcement came after the company went on to lay off 9,000 employees. In light of this, Pakistan's former President Arif Alvi argued that the closure indicates that Pakistan is now spiralling into a whirlpool of uncertainty.
He went on to add that there is increasing joblessness, talent migration, and a reduction in purchasing power in the country. 'Pakistan now spirals into a whirlpool of uncertainty. There is increasing joblessness, our talent is migrating abroad, purchasing power has reduced, economic recovery in the 'awami' context feels like a distant & elusive dream," said Arif Alvi in a post on X.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
He emphasised that Microsoft's decision to shut down operations in Pakistan is a 'troubling sign" for the country's economic future. The former president went on to link the move to the regime change in Pakistan.
'Microsoft's decision to shut down operations in Pakistan is a troubling sign for our economic future. I vividly recall February 2022, when Bill Gates visited my office. On behalf of the people of Pakistan, I had the honour of conferring the Hilal-e-Imtiaz on him for his remarkable contributions to polio eradication in our country," he added.
Alvi recalls his meeting with Bill Gates
In his stern remarks on X, the former Pakistani president recalled his conversation with Microsoft founder Bill Gates. Alvi said they sat on the lawn outside his office and discussed numerous topics like AI, Quantum computing, gut microbiomes, longevity, and more.
'During our discussion, I asked him directly, 'Why isn't Microsoft investing in Pakistan?' He leaned in, sharing in confidence that he had just spoken with PM Imran Khan and arranged a call between the PM and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. In a hushed tone, he asked me to keep it quiet, revealing that 'all is set and within two months, the PM and I will announce a major Microsoft investment in Pakistan," Alvi wrote.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
However, he mentioned that soon after the meeting, things went downhill, and regime change upended those plans. 'By October 2022, Microsoft chose Vietnam for its expansion, a decision in which they had initially favoured Pakistan. The opportunity was lost,' he added.
Meanwhile, Jawwad Rehman, who set up and led Microsoft's Pakistan unit, shared the news in a post on LinkedIn.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
Model community: Why Tibetans in India deserve more help
A long time ago, in the 1950s, China took control of Tibet. The Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, and thousands of Tibetans had to leave their homeland. They chose India as their new home, and since then, they've lived peacefully among us. India recently showed strong support for the Dalai Lama by saying that he alone should decide who the next Tibetan leader will be, not China. This is important because China wants to control even this decision. Tibetans in India: Peaceful and Proud Today, Tibetans live in 39 official settlements and many other places across India. They've shared their delicious food, traditional medicine, beautiful culture, and peaceful spirituality with us. Many of us know about prayer flags, momos, and the calming teachings of the Dalai Lama – all thanks to them! They have stayed peaceful, thankful, and respectful – all values that the Dalai Lama himself promotes. Meanwhile, in China, Tibetan culture is being changed, and Tibetan religion is tightly controlled by the government. But They Still Struggle Even though Tibetans have lived in India for over 70 years, they still face problems: They can't easily travel abroad . They can't own land or houses . Most of them can't get loans from banks . College and healthcare access is limited for many Tibetan youth. What Should Be Done? India has always welcomed refugees, like during the 1971 Bangladesh war, when we gave shelter to millions. So, helping Tibetans more shouldn't be hard. They've been model citizens – calm, helpful, and respectful. It's time to give them better support, like easing rules and helping them live more fully as part of Indian society. After all, they've added so much to our country — and they deserve our care and kindness in return. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.
Indian Express
40 minutes ago
- Indian Express
‘DU will not encourage anything that glorifies Pakistan': V-C amid syllabus revisions
Amid the ongoing debate over curriculum changes in several departments, Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh Thursday told The Indian Express that the varsity will not 'encourage anything that glorifies Pakistan'. Singh's remarks follow internal deliberations over the likely removal of these postgraduate courses in Political Science: Pakistan and the World, China's Role in the Contemporary World, Islam and International Relations, Pakistan: State and Society, and Religious Nationalism and Political Violence. The V-C clarified that while departments are free to propose Pakistani thinkers 'who are not anti-national,' final decisions on academic content rest with the university's elected Academic Council (AC), not the administration. 'Syllabus and academic matters are passed by the AC, which is a democratic house in a democratic manner,' Singh said. Discussions around syllabi revision have taken on political and ideological overtones at the varsity, with several faculty members raising concerns about the narrowing of academic space. Following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, heads of departments were reportedly instructed to review academic material and remove any unnecessary 'glorification' of Pakistan. In June, The Indian Express reported that the Department of Philosophy had been directed to exclude references to Pakistan, poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal, as well as the Manusmriti from its syllabi following an email directive from Dean of Academics. Speaking to The Indian Express, Professor Sanjeev Kumar H M, a faculty member of the Department of Political Science with a specialisation in Islamic Thought and International Relations, among others, defended the revision process. 'There is a process in which the Department Council proposes changes, and it then goes to the Committee of Courses. That committee makes suggestions, and the syllabus then goes to the Board of Studies. From there, it moves to the Standing Committee, where elected members and experts comment and make recommendations. It is then sent back to the department. This entire process is mediated by the Head. There is a democratic process involved in this — it is a matter between the faculty and the Standing Committee,' he said. He added that some readings from 10–15 years ago may now appear decontextualised, given changing global dynamics. 'Our goal is to give the right image. How we portray Pakistan needs some kind of streamlining. It is not about administrative interference,' Kumar said. 'Debating Article 370, for instance, becomes decontextualised without background.' Harendranath Tiwari, member of the Standing Committee, argued that the ideological bent of some proposed papers was a concern. 'The Arts have always been dominated by Left ideologies. Certain papers presented in the Standing Committee were agenda-driven. It is not like Pakistan is not being taught — it is taught in various courses. But the perspective matters. Courses with an 'India-centric' approach have been passed. The problem lies with the 'Pakistan-centric' way of drafting,' he said. However, a professor from the History department, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: 'How do we teach Partition without mentioning or talking about Pakistan?' The professor added that efforts to erase or avoid discussion of sensitive subjects 'risk diluting both historical accuracy and academic honesty'. Professor Rekha Saxena, Head, Department of Political Science, declined to comment when contacted by The Indian Express. Other departments have also seen cuts in their syllabi. During a meeting of the Standing Committee on Academic Matters last month, several key topics — including the Israel-Palestine conflict, the Kashmir issue — were allegedly removed from a proposed syllabus revision by the Department of Psychology.
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
‘May Be In Afghanistan': Bilawal Bhutto Says Pakistan Doesn't Know Where Masood Azhar Is
Last Updated: Bilawal Bhutto said Pakistan doesn't know Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar's location, suggesting he might be in Afghanistan. Pakistani politician Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that Islamabad has no knowledge of the location of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, one of India's most-wanted terrorists. Speaking in an interview with Al Jazeera, Bilawal Bhutto said Pakistan would be willing to arrest Masood Azhar if New Delhi provides credible evidence that he is on Pakistani soil. 'If and when the Indian government shares information with us that he is on Pakistani soil, we would be more than happy to arrest him," Bilawal Bhutto said, adding, 'The fact is, the Indian government is not…" Masood Azhar, who has been linked to a string of terror attacks in India- including the 2001 Parliament attack, the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the 2016 Pathankot airbase assault and the 2019 Pulwama suicide bombing- was designated a UN global terrorist in 2019. He was previously released from Indian custody in 1999 as part of a hostage exchange following the Kandahar hijacking of Indian Airlines flight IC-814. India has repeatedly demanded Masood Azhar's extradition, along with Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed but Pakistan has consistently denied harboring the terrorists despite evidence of their presence in the country. 'Hafiz Saeed Is Not A Free Man, Masood Azhar May Be In Afghanistan' Bilawal Bhutto told Al Jazeera that Hafiz Saeed is not a free man and that Masood Azhar may be in Afghanistan. He said, responding to a New York Times report, 'That's not accurate. That's factually not correct that Hafiz Saeed is a free man. He is in the custody of the Pakistani state. As far as Masood Azhar is concerned, we have been unable to arrest him or identify him. Given his past within the Afghan jihad context, it is our belief that he is in Afghanistan." Bilawal Bhutto further elaborated on why Pakistan expects cooperation from India to locate Masood Azhar, saying, 'When you have a counterterrorism cooperation with any country, we provide groups of our concern, they provide groups of their concern. That's how we managed to thwart attacks here in London, thwart attacks in New York, thwart attacks in Pakistan." Afghanistan Situation Makes Action Difficult, Says Bilawal Bhutto Referencing the current geopolitical situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban are now in control, Bilawal Bhutto said, 'If he is in Afghanistan, the West has now handed over the country to a group that once upon a time they called terrorists, and now they call the people in charge of Afghanistan. It's not possible for Pakistan to go and do what all of NATO was unable to do within Afghanistan. There's no reason for Pakistan to want to see this individual or any individual of concern to be active." Bilawal Bhutto's comments come in the wake of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which prompted India to launch Operation Sindoor- a targeted military response in which Indian forces struck key terror infrastructure across Pakistan, including the Lashkar-e-Taiba headquarters in Muridke and Jaish-e-Mohammed's base in Bahawalpur. Masood Azhar said that as many as 10 members of his family and four aides were killed in the strikes. Get breaking news, in-depth analysis, and expert perspectives on everything from geopolitics to diplomacy and global trends. Stay informed with the latest world news only on News18. Download the News18 App to stay updated! First Published:
