The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication has firmly denied reports circulating in Indian media that Microsoft is shutting down its operations in Pakistan, calling them false, misleading, and part of a pattern of anti-Pakistan disinformation.
In an official statement issued Saturday, the ministry clarified that Microsoft never had a permanent office in Pakistan. Instead, the tech giant operated through a liaison office, while its licensing and commercial activities for Pakistan have been managed from Ireland for several years, in line with Microsoft’s global policy.
“Microsoft has not closed any office in Pakistan. The claim by Indian media is baseless,” the ministry said. “The shift involving the liaison office is part of the company’s global Workforce Optimization Program.”
The government stressed that Microsoft’s engagement with Pakistan remains unchanged, and there is no indication the company is scaling back its presence or commitment.
“We are in constant contact with Microsoft and other international tech companies. There is no pullout or downgrading of operations,” the ministry added.
On July 4, media reports claimed that Microsoft had ended its operations in Pakistan after a 25-year presence, citing the company’s global restructuring plan. A Microsoft spokesperson later confirmed to TechCrunch that while the liaison office setup in Pakistan was being adjusted, the company would continue serving Pakistani customers through regional offices and authorized resellers.
“Our customer agreements and services will not be affected,” the spokesperson said. “We successfully follow this model in many other countries. Pakistani customers remain a top priority.”
The change affects five local employees—with no engineering teams based in Pakistan—most of whom were involved in sales and product support for services like Azure and Microsoft Office.
The ministry also pointed out that Microsoft’s commercial operations have already been routed through its European hub in Ireland for several years, with local partners providing daily support.
Despite this operational shift, the ministry reaffirmed its commitment to working with Microsoft’s regional and global leadership to strengthen the company’s role in Pakistan’s tech ecosystem.
This development comes amid Pakistan’s recent announcement to train 500,000 youth in IT through global certifications from tech giants like Google and Microsoft—a vision now facing added complexity following the company’s restructuring.
While Microsoft is adjusting its model, Google continues to expand its presence in Pakistan, having pledged $10.5 million to public education and exploring Chromebook manufacturing in the country by 2026.
