Microsoft has decided to close its physical presence in Pakistan, a move confirmed through a LinkedIn post by Jawwad Rehman, the founder and former head of Microsoft Pakistan. According to Microsoft, this closure is part of a regular business evaluation and optimization process that will not affect existing customer agreements or services. Customers will continue to be supported via Microsoft’s extensive partner network and nearby regional offices, a model the company already follows in multiple countries.
Rehman noted that Microsoft Pakistan was reduced to just a few employees before the closure, reportedly around five, all of whom have lost their jobs. Despite Pakistan’s large population of over 250 million, political instability and governance challenges have limited its attractiveness to major tech investors, especially when compared with neighboring India and the Gulf states that have successfully attracted significant tech investments.
The Pakistani government’s efforts to develop its tech sector, including recent plans to certify hundreds of thousands of youths in Microsoft and Google technologies, face ongoing hurdles such as poor broadband infrastructure and internet disruptions. Microsoft’s withdrawal underscores the challenges in establishing a sustained tech industry footprint in Pakistan.
