Pakistan government pushes esports with national policy

The British Esports Federation and the Commonwealth Secretariat have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) to develop the country’s first-ever esports policy.

Signed during a ceremony held last Thursday, the MoU marks a strategic partnership to foster esports, digital skills and entrepreneurship among Pakistani youth.

Among the planned initiatives, Pakistan will form a Pakistan Esports Federation and develop its first National Esports Policy. The policy aims to oversee the regulation and growth of the country’s esports ecosystem by launching esports training programmes, academies and digital gaming arenas.

According to UN Data, Pakistan has a large youth population, with 64% of the country’s population under the age of 30. That being said, the country is suffering from poor infrastructure as gaming equipment remains prohibitively expensive for many players, who also have to face frequent ‘load shedding’, as electricity is cut for long periods of the day to conserve it.

The MoU will also see the Pakistan government develop high-speed internet infrastructure to improve access to Pakistani gamers and support the commercialisation of locally developed games.

Established in 2016 as the British Esports Association, the British Esports Federation is the national body for esports in the United Kingdom. Over the past years, the BEF has signed several strategic partnerships to support the growth of esports and also raise awareness through safeguard initiatives. Earlier last month, it announced the plans to open its dedicated gaming and esports arena in Sunderland in 2026, following financing approval.

Tom Dore, Vice President at the British Esports Federation, commented on the partnership through a personal post on LinkedIn: “It has been an honour and a privilege to visit your country and listen, learn and understand your exciting plans to use esports, video games and games design as a pillar of your wider digital transformation plan. With 170m people under the age of 30, we recognise it will be a critical engagement and skills development vehicle for you.”