Syed Saif Ul Hassan 
Nov 03, 2025
With the Prime Minister's Laptop Scheme 2025 inching closer to its launch, Amir Husain, a Pakistani AI technologist and author based in the US, has criticised the scheme in a thoughtful, bold open letter to the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Husain is a prominent tech expert and an impeccable entrepreneur who has founded multiple tech ventures. His profound concern, expressed in a post on X (formerly Twitter), was directed to the government's new Rs50 billion ($180 million) laptop distribution scheme.
In his letter to the PM, against the impending PM Laptop Scheme 2025, he argued that this initiative is misguided and urged the government to reconsider its approach.
Husain is of the view that instead of distributing laptops, the government should allocate the funds to ten leading global venture capital firms and become a significant limited partner in each.
Another proposal by the Pakistani-American entrepreneur was that the government should send the top ten Pakistani startups to these VCs annually. If the startups are promising, they would receive funding; if not, they would gain valuable feedback.
"This will allow 100 Pakistani startups to get a shot annually at funding, and every year 2-5 will get funded," wrote Husain in his open letter to the PM.
Over five years, he believes this method could fetch venture-grade returns of 20-25% annually, leading to the emergence of 25 potential firms with ties to Pakistan.
He envisions and projects that the country could hold a $1.5-2 billion stake in these funds after ten years, fostering a billion-dollar portfolio while benefiting thousands of entrepreneurs.
Husain recalls advising the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) against the original laptop scheme 15 years ago, underscoring the need for a more strategic investment in Pakistan’s burgeoning tech ecosystem.
Husain's unique perspective and call to action are aimed at paving the foundations of sustainable growth and innovation in Pakistan.
