Pakistan, July 4 -- After 25 years of presence in Pakistan, Microsoft has officially shut down its local office, citing global restructuring and a shift to a cloud-first, partner-led business model. The decision aligns with the company's broader layoff plan, which includes cutting over 9,000 jobs worldwide-about 4% of its global workforce-making it one of the biggest layoffs since 2023.

Although Microsoft never had a full commercial base in Pakistan, it operated liaison offices focusing on enterprise, education, and government sectors. Over time, many of these functions had already shifted to local partners. Licensing and contract operations had long been handled by the company's European hub based in Ireland, reducing the need for a dir...