Google establishes office in Pakistan
In a recent development, the search engine giant Google opened its office in Pakistan. It was revealed by Federal Information Technology Minister Aminul Haq during an announcement with media in Islamabad. Furthermore, the minister said that Google is not the only international technology company to open an office in Pakistan, as TikTok also plans to follow suit in the near future.
Google became the first tech giant to set up an office in Pakistan after newly formulated social media rules made it mandatory for all social media companies to register in the country. It is pertinent to mention that last year the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) registered Google as a company in the country.
On the other hand, Minister Amin ul Haque said that if a company cannot open a physical office in the country, it should have a virtual presence.
SECP has issued a document to Google confirming that Google Asia Pacific Pvt. Ltd, based in Singapore, has opened a liaison office in Pakistan under Section 435 of the Companies Act 2017.
According to some other sources, TikTok is also planning to register to set up an office in the country and there are indications that Meta could follow these two tech companies.
It is a good sign for Pakistan as it would enable the government to more effectively curb unwanted or inflammatory content. Moreover, it can also lead to job creation for local citizens.
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