Pakistan’s Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on May 20, 2025, approved the establishment of the National Center for Quantum Computing (NCQC) at a cost of Rs. 3,318.363 million (approximately USD 12 million). The meeting was chaired by Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal at the P-Block Secretariat in Islamabad, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan.
Sponsored by the Higher Education Commission (HEC), the project’s scope includes civil works, specialized laboratory equipment for quantum computing and training, licensing costs for partner institutions, and human resource expenses. Partner institutions named in the project include UET Lahore (main campus and Narowal), GIKI, and NED Karachi. The approved budget also covers MS scholarships, international training programs, and institutional linkages.
According to the APP release, Minister Iqbal described the center as essential to securing Pakistan’s technological sovereignty. He said quantum computing holds transformative potential in cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, drug discovery, and climate modeling, and that the center would enable public-private-academic collaboration. The NCQC approval was one of four projects worth a combined Rs. 21.83 billion cleared at the CDWP level during the session, as reported by Business Recorder.