Tech Desk 
Jul 06, 2025
The Ministry of IT and Telecommunication has categorically rejected the Indian press reports regarding Microsoft's closure of operations in Pakistan.
However, the ministry deemed the reports to be "false, misleading, and part of a continuing campaign to pit the Indian press against Pakistan."
In a statement released Saturday: "the ministry advised Microsoft never had a permanent office in Pakistan. Microsoft in Pakistan operates as a liaison office, and all licensing and commercial operations for Pakistan have been done from Microsoft’s Ireland Operation for many years as per Microsoft’s global business model.
"Microsoft has not closed any office in Pakistan. India Monitor's claims are totally without basis," the ministry said.
"The changes that have occurred are a part of Microsoft’s global Workforce Optimisation Programme, which is a restructuring method Microsoft is implementing in multiple countries."
A Microsoft spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that it is simply changing the way it serves customers in Pakistan: "We will now be supporting customers through resellers, and there will also be a reliance on regional offices that are in close proximity. This change will not affect customer services or customer agreements in any way," the spokesperson said.
"Pakistan will continue to receive exactly the same level of support from Microsoft through our partners."
According to reports, the shift affects five Microsoft employees in Pakistan. The company has no engineering teams based in the country and mainly runs sales operations for products like Microsoft Office and Azure.
Globally, Microsoft has also laid off around 9,000 employees in a 4% workforce cut this year.
The ministry said it continues to work closely with Microsoft’s global and regional teams to ensure this transition strengthens its long-term presence in Pakistan.
This development comes as Pakistan aims to provide IT certifications from top tech companies—including Google and Microsoft—to half a million youth.
