Punjab – (Staff Reporter/Web Desk) – Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has given her adviser Ali Dar the international cooperation portfolio. The step aims to bring in foreign investment and build stronger global ties.
Dar’s new title is Adviser to the Chief Minister on Artificial Intelligence, International Cooperation and Special Initiatives. The government has already issued a notification about his added duties.
On the Chief Minister’s orders, the province has also set up the Office of International Coordination and Cooperation (OICAC). Dar will lead this new office.
The Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) has been linked with OICAC. Together, they will work on investment plans, trade chances and partnerships with foreign institutions.
In an interview, Dar said the move will create a clear and joined-up system to attract investors. He said the office will help find new economic partnerships.
“Our priority is to strengthen Punjab’s global economic connections and create new opportunities for international investors,” he said.
Dar said more foreign investment will help create business activity, jobs and growth across the province. He added that OICAC will improve teamwork between government departments and turn international deals into real projects.
Dar first joined the Punjab government on February 9, 2026, as Adviser on Artificial Intelligence and Special Initiatives. That post gave him the status and powers of a provincial minister.
He is the eldest son of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar. He is married to Asma Nawaz Sharif, daughter of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and sister of Maryam Nawaz.
Dar studied at Aitchison College in Lahore. He later moved to Britain and studied at University College London and the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, where he earned a software engineering degree.
Before joining the government, he founded the UAE-based HDS Group of Companies, which works in real estate. He led it as chief executive until 2024. His younger brother, Hasnain Dar, now oversees its operations.
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