Hamza Saeed Orakzai

Entrepreneur-turned-Public Servant. I learn & preach tech, finance, future of work, youth development, public policy & global affairs. Blunt & Direct Comms

[Hamza Saeed Orakzai @HamzaOrakzai]

@Huk06 @SaleemFarrukh Or just put as a global instruction in settings. Probably you need to introduce a workshop for journalists as well

[Hamza Saeed Orakzai @HamzaOrakzai]

@Huk06 @SaleemFarrukh And remove em dashes 😅

[Hamza Saeed Orakzai @HamzaOrakzai]

Great article. Glad to report that it’s also a one of 32 notified special technology zone.

@STZAOfficial

[Habibullah Khan @Huk06]

I have exclusive photos of the greatest bet a Pakistani has taken on Pakistan this century. A massive $200 Million investment initially. A total of $1 BILLION allocated to this and related value chain investments. BYD by my namesake Habibullah Khan.

This plant is 73 acres. It will produce 25,000 units initially and expand to 50,000 units seamlessly in Phase 2.

Why is this being done. Because his competition was so satisfied with their monopoly and the billions of rupees they raked in while giving Pakistanis older, unsafe cars with minimal features, they didn’t think of Pakistan.

Habibullah Khan did. He estimates that with a 30% EV penetration Pakistan will not only save almost $3 billion dollars a year on fuel, and it will also reduce GHG emissions by over 1 million tons MTCO2e helping Pakistan meet its SDG commitments to the Paris agreement.

EV value chain investments by him and others will have an immediate impact of a further $3.75 billion dollars to the GDP.

If you’re gonna dream. Dream big.

This plant is an example of how Pakistan’s future can look. Good incentives by government result in unlocking local and international capital. Investment brings in LATEST ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY with knowledge transfer (Suzuki is still selling cars with hand rolled windows 😭). Plant is geared for export as well allowing you to earn dollars as you indigenise value chains in mining, batteries, auto….

The oil guzzling local companies know they are beat. There were 100+ EV charging stations a year ago. Today there are over 2000. The EV Revolution is irreversible. So they’re trying the only route they know how. Using powerful advisors and ministers to put pressure on government to double the duty on EV CBU’s so as to kill this massive dream in the womb.

Not just Pakistan’s mystery billionaire, Habibullah Khan is Pakistan First.

[Hamza Saeed Orakzai @HamzaOrakzai]

Probably should have shorted #Nvidia

[Hamza Saeed Orakzai @HamzaOrakzai]

I want to short #Nvidia

[Hamza Saeed Orakzai @HamzaOrakzai]

@Manu_Sisti @Strong_Mindd Send

[Hamza Saeed Orakzai @HamzaOrakzai]

I want to short #Nvidia

[Hamza Saeed Orakzai @HamzaOrakzai]

This is just a poor poor tweet!

[Nadeem Haque @nadeemhaque]

Eid coming labor already gone for a holiday. Return in 10 days.

we ALL love a good dramatic lament about poverty 😭💔

Yet the poor? They’re out here living their best lives — taking long luxurious holidays, endless breaks, and sliding into laziness at the first opportunity!

Why work hard for money when you can just… not?

Daily wage laborers refusing to put in extra time for piece rate?

Conclusion: There is no poverty, folks. People are contented. ! 🏖️💅”

[Hamza Saeed Orakzai @HamzaOrakzai]

For the first time in human history, the world will spend over US$1 trillion in a single year building machines for one purpose. To think.

Hyperscaler capital expenditure alone crosses US$600 billion in 2026, roughly 36% above last year.

Stargate has put US$500 billion on the table over four years.

Saudi Arabia's HUMAIN has 18,000 Nvidia Blackwell GPUs on order. The first 200 megawatts of Stargate Abu Dhabi come online this year. The EU's InvestAI plan is mobilising €200 billion across its gigafactory programme.

This is not a forecast. This is a balance sheet.

As regulator, the picture is sharper than the market commentary suggests. The compute map of the world is being drawn right now. Once it is drawn, it is drawn for a generation.

Software can move across borders in a single afternoon. A 500-megawatt data centre cannot.

The question for every middle-income economy in 2026 is no longer whether we have an AI policy. We all have one.

The question is which of three positions we are taking.

Host. Rent. Watch.

There is no fourth option, and the window is closing faster than most cabinets seem to think.

Pakistan, like every other capable economy in the region, has the talent, the energy story, and the geography to host. What is needed now is the institutional decision to do so, before the chips, the capital, and the campuses are committed elsewhere.

The west is building. The east is building. The middle is choosing.

#AI #DigitalEconomy #ComputingRealEstate #Pakistan

[Hamza Saeed Orakzai @HamzaOrakzai]

https://t.co/p205DX8Ic0

[Naveed Iftikhar @navift]

Everyone agrees that we have many constraints for tech and business growth in Pakistan.

I often write these things, and it spreads too fast.

All of us amplify negative things.

At the same time, every day, I’m building something, shipping work, training people, mentoring teams, and figuring out how to operate within this environment. I advise something to businesses and youth. No one listens to or discusses it.

I'm even building for international markets while sitting here in Pakistan. That side rarely gets amplified. I’m not alone doing it. Thousands of entrepreneurs, activists, and academics are doing something to navigate or fix the system here.

Stay in Pakistan or leave. Your choice. Do what works for you. But do something real. We’ve become very good at discussing the system. We need to get equally serious about dreaming big, developing our skillset, fighting for rights, or building businesses for global markets.

[Hamza Saeed Orakzai @HamzaOrakzai]

Google to invest in Anthropic $40 Billion. This is a game changer in AI race. Anthropic is hungry for computer power and Google is the right answer. There tech stack integration will truly transform how we work and scale.

[Hamza Saeed Orakzai @HamzaOrakzai]

RT @navift: AI is a great opportunity for businesses. Unfortunately businesses in Pakistan are not realizing it. Most of the c-suit leaders…

[SIFC | Special Investment Facilitation Council🇵🇰 @sifcpakistan]

Pakistan hosts 32 Special Technology Zones across the country, offering modern infrastructure and a thriving environment for tech-driven businesses. 🚀

Through support by #SIFC, in collaboration with key stakeholders including @STZAOfficial, these zones provide an ideal ecosystem for businesses to launch and expand.

✅ Incentives for investors
✅ Skilled tech talent
✅ Reliable high-speed internet
✅ Advanced facilities

The tech ecosystem is ready for you.

Explore opportunities and invest today - SIFC is just one click away to facilitate you.

[Hamza Saeed Orakzai @HamzaOrakzai]

This would be definitely an excellent read.

[Luis Garicano 🇪🇺🇺🇦 @lugaricano]

Famously (there is a beautiful Works in Progress piece on this) in 2016, Geoffrey Hinton told an audience in Toronto that medical schools should stop training radiologists, since AI would soon outperform them at reading scans. Ten years later, there are more radiologists than ever, and they earn more than they did then.

Hinton was right about the task, but he was wrong (so far!) on the future of the radiology profession. Times have never been better for them. The gap between those two claims, the difference between tasks and jobs, is the subject of a paper I have written with Jin Li and Yanhui Wu, and that we release today: "Weak Bundle, Strong Bundle: How AI Redraws Job Boundaries." (Very relatedly we are also finishing the first draft of our book "Messy Jobs" on AI and Jobs!! You will be the first to hear).

We start from the observation that the growing literature on AI and labor markets measures the AI shock by task exposure: people count how many tasks AI can perform in a given occupation AI can perform, and infer that more exposure means more displacement. Eloundou et al. published a paper in Science in 2024 that started this literature, and many follow the same logic. The inference they make is that the more exposed tasks, the worse the outcomes.

This is incomplete, because labor markets price jobs, not tasks. A radiologist does not just sell image classification, but does many other jobs: triages cases, communicates with other physicians, trains residents, makes the difficult decisions, and signs a diagnosis. The market buys a bundled service. The question AI poses is not whether it can do one task inside the bundle. The question is whether that task can be pulled out.

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https://t.co/wEYMfjGbeX

[Special Technology Zones Authority - Pakistan @STZAOfficial]

#STZA looks back on a year defined by progress, partnerships, and purpose.

Throughout the year, we worked alongside leading global and local technology players to strengthen Pakistan’s innovation ecosystem, enabling collaboration, accelerating growth, and supporting sustainable, future-ready development across Special Technology Zones.

As we move forward, our focus remains clear: reducing barriers, attracting investment, and empowering technology enterprises to compete on a global stage.

Together, we’re building a resilient, innovation-driven future for Pakistan.

#STZA #PakistanTech #TechEcosystem #Innovation #Technology #SpecialTechnologyZones #DigitalEconomy #TechGrowth #NewYear #2025WrapUp

[Special Technology Zones Authority - Pakistan @STZAOfficial]

Measuring Success: Strategy and Impact

In this segment from ITCN 2025, the Chief Market Development Officer, Mr. Hamza Saeed Orakzai (@HamzaOrakzai ), details the six strategic pillars used to evaluate license applications. These objectives focus on critical areas such as exports, import substitution, investment, job creation, and technology transfer.

He emphasizes that while the government provides significant incentives, the authority conducts rigorous monitoring over a 10-year period to ensure tangible economic impact. The results are clear: in the past fiscal year alone, licensed enterprises generated 27.6 billion rupees in exports and 106 billion rupees in revenue.

This performance demonstrates the strength of the ecosystem. As we prepare for ITCN 2026, the network has expanded to 32 Notified Zones, with 18 fully operational and 14 under construction.

Be part of this measurable success at ITCN 2026.

Tap the link to watch the full video.
(https://t.co/FmaYmMoV1b)

#STZA #HamzaSaeedOrakzai #ITCN2026 #TechExports #EconomicImpact #StrategicGrowth #PakistanBusiness @ITCNASIASOCIAL

[Special Technology Zones Authority - Pakistan @STZAOfficial]

The Fiscal Advantage

In this segment from ITCN 2025, the Chief Market Development Officer, Mr. Hamza Saeed Orakzai (@HamzaOrakzai ), outlines the comprehensive incentive package available to license holders.

He details the 10-year tax holidays covering income, corporate, and withholding taxes, along with customs duty exemptions on capital goods. Furthermore, he highlights the special foreign currency account that enables 100% dollar retention and seamless repatriation without requiring permissions from the State Bank of Pakistan.

This fiscal framework is now supporting a vast ecosystem. As we look toward ITCN 2026, the network has grown to 32 Notified Zones, with 18 fully operational and 14 under construction.

Secure your financial future in the tech sector. Connect with us at ITCN 2026.

Tap the link in our bio to watch the full video. (https://t.co/FmaYmMoV1b)

#STZA #HamzaSaeedOrakzai #ITCN2026 @ITCNASIASOCIAL #ForexRetention #PakistanBusiness

[Special Technology Zones Authority - Pakistan @STZAOfficial]

#STZA is proud to be a Strategic Supporter of the 27th @ITCNASIASOCIAL, powered by SIFC.

As we continue enabling Pakistan’s technology ecosystem, our presence at ITCN Asia reflects our commitment to supporting innovation, investment, and global collaboration across Special Technology Zones.

Join us at the Lahore Expo Centre from 17–19 January 2026 as we connect with industry leaders and showcase opportunities powered by one-window facilitation.

Together, we’re strengthening Pakistan’s tech future.

#ITCNAsia2026 #STZA #PakistanTech #TechEcosystem #Innovation #StrategicSupporter #STZAsupportsGrowth

[Hamza Saeed Orakzai @HamzaOrakzai]

Couple of months ago, I had the honor of delivering a keynote speech at the inaugural session of Pakistan’s biggest IT conference, ITCN Asia 2025 Karachi.

I have tried to articulate at a very high level, what STZA is, what we do, what have we done so far, and where are we going

[Special Technology Zones Authority - Pakistan @STZAOfficial]

From Vision to Reality: Why You Cannot Miss ITCN 2026

As we gear up for ITCN 2026 (@ITCNASIASOCIAL ), we look back at the insights shared by our Chief Market Development Officer, Mr. Hamza Saeed, at last year’s event. His message was clear: STZA is just getting started.

Since this address, our ecosystem has expanded even further. While the video highlights 31 zones, our footprint has already grown to 32 Notified Special Technology Zones. Today, 18 zones are fully operational, offering world-class infrastructure to tech enterprises, with another 14 under active construction.

This rapid progress is proof of the phenomenal opportunity STZA offers:
1. 10-Year Tax Holidays
2. 100% Forex Retention
3. A Seamless Digital One-Window Environment

The ecosystem is expanding, and the next chapter begins at ITCN 2026. Join us to see how your technology company can be part of this national transformation.

#STZA #ITCN2026 #TechPakistan #Innovation #FutureReady #PakistanTech

[Special Technology Zones Authority - Pakistan @STZAOfficial]

From Vision to Reality: Why You Cannot Miss ITCN 2026

As we gear up for ITCN 2026 (@ITCNASIASOCIAL ), we look back at the insights shared by our Chief Market Development Officer, Mr. Hamza Saeed, at last year’s event. His message was clear: STZA is just getting started.

Since this address, our ecosystem has expanded even further. While the video highlights 31 zones, our footprint has already grown to 32 Notified Special Technology Zones. Today, 18 zones are fully operational, offering world-class infrastructure to tech enterprises, with another 14 under active construction.

This rapid progress is proof of the phenomenal opportunity STZA offers:
1. 10-Year Tax Holidays
2. 100% Forex Retention
3. A Seamless Digital One-Window Environment

The ecosystem is expanding, and the next chapter begins at ITCN 2026. Join us to see how your technology company can be part of this national transformation.

#STZA #ITCN2026 #TechPakistan #Innovation #FutureReady #PakistanTech