iPhone Assembly could come to Pakistan as PM Shehbaz Sharif courts Apple

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s push to expand its mobile phone industry could be heading for major breakthrough, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expected to meet Apple’s CEO during his upcoming visit to the US.

The meeting is expected to include discussions on the possibility of manufacturing or assembling Apple mobile phones in Pakistan, according to officials.

The development came to light during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Information Technology, where the Chief Executive Officer of the Engineering Development Board said the government was making efforts to bring Apple to Pakistan.

According to the official, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to meet Apple’s CEO in the US as part of those efforts. Pakistan is already trying to build up its domestic mobile phone manufacturing industry. The committee was told that 37 companies are currently manufacturing mobile phones in the country, with more than 35 million handsets produced so far.

But lawmakers said Pakistan needs to go beyond simply assembling phones. The chairman of the committee stressed the need to increase local production and said phones made in Pakistan should be affordable, reliable and good quality. He also called for a shift towards newer technology, saying Pakistan now needs 4G and 5G smartphones instead of 3G devices.

The committee chairman said the country’s broader vision should be “Smartphone for All”, highlighting the need to make modern smartphones more accessible to ordinary Pakistanis.

According to the IT secretary, around 200 million people in Pakistan currently use mobile phones, making the country a potentially huge market for smartphone manufacturers. The meeting also touched on the growing problem of mobile phone theft, particularly in Karachi.

The committee chairman said citizens in Karachi have their phones snatched every six months, forcing many of them to spend money on replacement devices.

If Pakistan’s efforts to attract Apple gain traction, the company’s potential entry could be a major development for the country’s technology and manufacturing sectors, potentially bringing investment, jobs and greater local production.