Pakistan, July 25 -- Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Friday said Pakistan's future economic competitiveness depends on the adoption of robotics, automation and other emerging technologies, stressing that industrial automation is no longer a choice but a necessity.

Speaking at the closing ceremony of the two-day Indus RAS (Robotics and Autonomous Systems) Expo 2026 at the Pak-China Friendship Centre in Islamabad, the minister said, "If Pakistan wants to remain economically competitive, every traditional industry must move towards automation." She added that reducing taxes or energy costs alone would not be enough unless industries integrated robotics and automation into manufacturi...