LAHORE – Apps and games developed in Pakistan recorded 4.6 billion downloads worldwide over the past 12 months, Google said on Thursday, highlighting the sector’s potential to contribute to the country’s digital exports.

The company shared the figures at Think Apps 2026 in Lahore, where Pakistani developers and international industry experts discussed the use of artificial intelligence to improve production, attract users and expand into overseas markets.

Sessions focused on growth strategies and monetisation as studios contend with increasing competition and rising user acquisition costs.

Opportunities for local studios

Google said Pakistan’s app and gaming industry now supported more than 30,000 professionals, with studios such as Game District and Funsol developing products for audiences beyond the domestic market.

Farhan Qureshi, Google’s cluster director for Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand and Frontier Markets, said the international reach of Pakistani developers reflected the strength of local talent.

“The global impact of Pakistan’s developers reflects the world-class talent and ambition driving the local ecosystem,” he said.

He added that the company aimed to help studios use AI to develop products for international audiences, strengthen their businesses and increase Pakistan’s participation in the global digital economy.

Experts at the event discussed how AI could accelerate coding, support creative production and help developers respond to changing user needs. They also emphasised the importance of product quality and retaining users to sustain growth.

Tools for development and expansion

Under its “Build, Yield and Scale” roadmap, Google outlined tools intended to support studios through product development, user acquisition and revenue generation.

The company said Google Cloud AI could assist developers in building products, while Google Ads and AdMob could support audience growth and advertising revenue.

It also highlighted opportunities to enter new categories and markets, pointing to Google Play’s global reach of more than three billion monthly active users.

AI training pledge

Google reiterated its pledge to train 100,000 developers in Pakistan in AI by 2028, saying the initiative would support the development of new apps and games.

The company also highlighted plans to enable the local production of 500,000 Chromebooks to broaden access to technology for education.

Separately, it said 200,000 families had received online safety training through its Digital Pasban programme.

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KARACHI – The Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND) has elected Azhar Abbas as its president and Tariq Mahmood as general secretary, according to a statement issued by the association.

Muhammad Usman and Mian Tahir were elected vice presidents, Rehan Ahmed and Nadeem Jamal joint secretaries, and Shahab Mahmood finance secretary.

The association’s general council elected the remaining executive committee members during meetings in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.

The members include Zahid Mazhar, Masoom Rizvi, Mohsin Raza, Mubarak Ali, Kamran Lashari, Humayun Saleem, Muhammad Noshad Ali Khan, Khawaja Hasnain and Razaq Sarohi.

The council also expressed serious concern over what it described as the deteriorating state of press freedom in Pakistan and the growing use of government powers and state institutions to restrict independent journalism.

It voiced concern over the alleged misuse of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) and the actions of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).

The council criticised the conduct of certain YouTubers who, it said, appeared to pursue personal or political agendas under the guise of journalism. However, it stressed that the actions of a few individuals could not justify restrictions on the media as a whole.

The council resolved that the newly elected executive committee would hold detailed discussions on the country’s media situation before issuing a comprehensive statement outlining the association’s position.

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