KARACHI (Oct 30): Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah met with a delegation from Meta, led by its Director of Public Policy, South Asia, Sarim Aziz, to discuss the Sindh government’s collaboration with Meta on the Llama Large Language Model (LLM) initiative aimed at strengthening national artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities and promoting local innovation.
Senior Minister Sharjeel Memon, Minister of Education Syed sardar Shah, Special Assistant to CM on IT Ali Rashid, PSCM Agha Wasif and Secretary IT Noor Samo also attended the meeting. The Meta delegation includes Ms Dania Mukhtar, Public Policy Pakistan, Ms Tehara Punchihewa, Associate Manager, Ruici Tio, Head of policy program and others.
The Chief Minister stated that Pakistan’s partnership with Meta on the Llama project aligns with the vision of a Digital Pakistan, complementing efforts to build national capacity in AI, machine learning, and data-driven innovation. He emphasised that his government’s objective is to make Sindh, Pakistan, not just a consumer but a global hub for AI-driven development and inclusive growth.
Mr Shah added that through this collaboration, the Sindh government aims to leverage Llama’s open-source architecture to accelerate AI research, natural language processing, and the development of indigenous applications suited to the provincial linguistic, educational, and governance needs. The initiative will also create new opportunities for researchers, startups, and universities to co-develop scalable solutions addressing real societal challenges.
The Meta delegation briefed the Chief Minister on Llama’s applications in the public sector across the Asia-Pacific region, including the Sindh government’s successful use cases in automated office administration, virtual heritage tourism, and AI-assisted medical diagnostics. These projects demonstrate how open-source AI can enhance efficiency, preserve cultural heritage, and improve healthcare outcomes.
The Chief Minister appreciated Meta’s support in advancing Pakistan’s AI ecosystem and reaffirmed Sindh’s commitment to adopting modern technologies to improve governance, digital capacity, and citizen services.
