The Commonwealth of Learning – Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia (COL-CEMCA) launched the Pakistan National Cohort of the Commonwealth Student Community for AI Governance through a virtual national convening held on 4 August 2026.

The event brought together students from universities across Pakistan to begin shaping a national student community that provides a platform for young people to connect, collaborate, exchange ideas, and contribute their perspectives to responsible AI development and contribute meaningfully to national and global discussions on AI governance.

In his inaugural address, Dr. B. Shadrach, Director, COL-CEMCA, emphasised the importance of placing young people at the centre of AI governance. Highlighting Pakistan’s youthful demographic, he encouraged students to move beyond being beneficiaries of AI technologies and become active contributors to national and global AI policy discussions. He also outlined the broader vision of expanding the Student Community model across Commonwealth member states as a platform for strengthening the “Voice of the Youth” in AI governance.

Delivering the national perspective, Dr. Zahid Majeed, Director of International Affairs, Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad, underscored the importance of student participation in shaping Pakistan’s AI future and encouraged students to contribute innovative ideas and policy perspectives through the newly established community.

The programme also featured experience-sharing by representatives from the India Student Community for AI Governance, who highlighted student-led initiatives, international collaborations, and opportunities emerging through the Commonwealth network. Participants then engaged in interactive group discussions to identify the AI issues and priorities they considered most significant within the Pakistani context, proposed actions for the community, and messages that will contribute to the forthcoming Commonwealth-wide student dialogue.

The launch marks the beginning of Pakistan’s participation in the growing Commonwealth Student Community for AI Governance, which is being established across member countries to strengthen interdisciplinary student engagement, foster cross-country collaboration, and amplify youth voices in national and global AI governance discussions.