CHITRAL: A young female professional from Chitral has reached the senior ranks of one of Pakistan’s biggest telecommunications companies.

At just 34, Bakhtawar Salik has been appointed Vice President for Business Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence at Telenor Pakistan-a notable achievement for someone whose career began not in technology, but in business analysis.

Business analysis taught her how companies make decisions; pricing gave her an understanding of customers and markets; and analytics and business intelligence brought her deeper into the world of data. That combination eventually led her to AI leadership.

Salik herself has stressed the importance of continuous learning in an industry where technology changes rapidly. Speaking to engineering students at NUST, she described the technology sector as a “hyper change environment” and urged young professionals to keep adding to their skills.

Her achievement is particularly significant for Chitral, a region far removed from Pakistan’s main corporate centres.

For young people—especially women—from remote areas, the country’s corporate and technology world can seem distant and inaccessible. Salik’s journey demonstrates that geographical distance does not have to determine professional ambition.

Her career also offers a lesson beyond technology: careers do not always have to be perfectly planned. Sometimes, one opportunity simply prepares the ground for the next.

Bakhtawar Salik began by analysing businesses. Today, she is helping lead how one of Pakistan’s major telecom companies uses data, business intelligence and artificial intelligence.

From Chitral to the boardrooms of Pakistan’s corporate world, her journey is a reminder that talent can emerge from anywhere—if it gets the opportunity to grow. .. CN report, 30 Aug 2026