KARACHI: Muhammad Ilyas urges Pakistan’s technology industry to shift from an outsourcing-driven model toward building globally competitive product and platform companies, arguing that long-term growth depends on ownership, specialization, and investment in local artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Muhammad Ilyas is the Founder and CEO of GYB Commerce, a Karachi-based software engineering company established in 2018. He has led the company’s growth into an international technology firm serving clients across Pakistan, the UAE, the UK, and the US, with expertise in SaaS platforms, AI solutions, conversational commerce, and enterprise software. He is a strong advocate for product-led innovation and the growth of Pakistan’s technology industry.
Sharing insights from nearly eight years of building software for international clients, Ilyas said Pakistan possesses the engineering talent needed to compete globally but continues to be constrained by perceptions that position its technology sector primarily as a low-cost outsourcing destination.
GYB Commerce develops conversational commerce platforms, multi-tenant SaaS solutions, AI-powered applications, and customer engagement systems. Under Ilyas’s leadership, the company has expanded from serving three clients to supporting 18 recurring ventures across Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It is also a technology partner of Microsoft, Shopify, and Meta.
According to Ilyas, the company’s experience demonstrates that Pakistani software firms are capable of delivering mission-critical technology rather than merely providing outsourced development services. He said GYB Commerce develops digital infrastructure that businesses depend on daily, including customer engagement platforms, enterprise SaaS products,AI-based systems, and compliance-focused software for international clients.
He maintained that Pakistan’s greatest challenge is not a shortage of skilled engineers but a positioning issue. While thousands of capable technology professionals graduate every year, the country continues to be viewed largely as a source of low-cost technical labour, limiting opportunities to build globally recognized technology brands.
Ilyas also highlighted the continuing loss of skilled professionals, attributing it to economic uncertainty, currency volatility, payment constraints, and limited opportunities for high-value innovation. He said these factors encourage talent to seek opportunities abroad, reinforcing perceptions that Pakistan remains a secondary player in the global technology ecosystem.
To reverse this trend, he called on technology companies to move up the value chain by taking ownership of critical software products and long-term digital systems rather than competing solely on hourly billing rates. Businesses that earn clients’ trust through reliability, technical expertise, and sustained operational support, he said, are better positioned to secure long-term partnerships and premium engagements.
He further emphasized the importance of specialization, arguing that companies focusing deeply on specific technologies, platforms, or industries are more likely to establish themselves as strategic partners instead of interchangeable service providers.
A key area requiring national attention, according to Ilyas, is the development of sovereign AI and local data infrastructure. He said Pakistan should invest in locally hosted AI systems built on open-source models, allowing businesses to process and manage data within the country while reducing dependence on foreign cloud infrastructure and dollar-denominated services.
He noted that GYB Commerce is already investing in locally hosted AI and data infrastructure for its clients, reflecting the company’s belief that future competitiveness will increasingly depend on controlling domestic digital capabilities.
Ilyas also called on policymakers, investors, educational institutions, and corporate organizations to support technology businesses capable of building intellectual property and globally scalable products. He argued that strengthening Pakistan’s product engineering ecosystem would generate greater economic value than relying primarily on conventional outsourcing.
“Pakistan’s technology potential is already evident through companies delivering trusted software solutions to international markets. The challenge is whether the country continues to compete as a provider of low-cost outsourced services or invests in building globally respected technology companies that own products, platforms, and AI infrastructure for the future.” Muhammad Ilyas, Founder and CEO of GYB Commerce tells The Financial Daily.
Report by: Muhammad Umar Waqqas
