P@SHA - PSEB TechLift Program

TechLift's graduation ceremony took place in Karachi on March 20, 2023. P@SHA helped organize the event and ensured industry participation to acknowledge the efforts to skill 4000 technical resources through this program. The program is sponsored by PSEB and P@SHA's member companies consortium is leading it under the supervision of the Skills Committee of P@SHA.

The event was attended by Minister of IT Syed Amin ul Haq, MD PSEB Syed Junaid Imam, Chairman P@SHA Muhammad Zohaib Khan and MD of Contour (leading the Joint Venture of 16 companies) Bilal Mahmood, and other members of the IT industry.

P@SHA's strategic role in the design, planning, and execution of this program was recognized and appreciated by all stakeholders. P@SHA is at the forefront of helping build the capacity for the Pakistan IT Industry with emerging and in-demand skills the world over.

The next phase of this program is set to conclude by the end of May. P@SHA will work with the government and industry to plan and help implement scale-up programs.

March 6-10, 2023

Delegation To Sweden and Denmark

P@SHA, PSEB, TDAP, and the Pakistan Embassy in Copenhagen led a trade delegation to Denmark & Sweden from March 6-10th. The delegation visited Digital Hub Denmark to learn about the emerging potential for IT & tech needs and talent in the country. They also met at Copenhagen Fintech to learn about the fintech cluster and rapid innovation in this IT sector. H.E. Ahmad Farooq (Ambassador of Pakistan to Denmark) hosted a dinner for the delegates.

The delegation also visited Skylab, the largest academic incubation & acceleration program by DTU, and Epicenter Stockholm with the H.E. Ambassador of Pakistan Mr. Zahoor Ahmed.

March 9-20, 2023

Workshop Series On Building Equity Value in IT Services

P@SHA hosted a successful workshop series "Building Equity in an IT Services Company" in collaboration with Vixul, the Y Combinator for Technology Service companies. 

The series was led by Aater Suleman, co-founder of Vixul and ex-CEO of Flux. Over the course of three sessions, he was joined by experts Will Loving (CEO, Servos), Ellen Daley (ex-CEO, Acorio), Taha Anis (founding partner, The Boring Syndicate), and Christ Hart (ex-CEO & co-founder, Levvel).

March 9, 2023

CXO Meetup Peshawar | Spring 2023

Our first Peshawar CXO Meetup for Spring 2023 was at NIC Peshawar. Powered by LMKT, this meetups gathered P@SHA member from across Peshawar and KP.

March 10, 2023

CXO Meetup Islamabad | Spring 2023

Our Islamabad CXO Meetup for Spring 2023 took place at Daftarkhwan Alpha. Powered by LMKR, this meetup saw attendance from members of the Ministry of IT & Telecom, the Foreign Office, and the crème de la crème of tech leaders from across the twin cities.

March 17, 2023

CXO Meetup Karachi | Spring 2023

Our Karachi CXO Meetup for Spring 2023 took place at the National Sailing Club. Powered by Transworld Home, Transworld Associates, Viper Technology, Sherdil IT Academy, Diya Interactive, and Innovative Network, this meetup also featured a qawwali night as the closing performance.

March 20-24, 2023

Game Developers Conference 2023

In collaboration with USAID, Tech Destination Pakistan, TDAP, and PSEB, P@SHA's AGG Committee led the Pakistan Games delegation representing the best of Pakistani gaming at Game Developers Conference 2023. US Consul General William K Makaneole officially inaugurated the Pakistan Games Pavilion at GDC alongside SVC P@SHA Ali Ihsan, members from the P@SHA CEC, and PSEB. 24 Companies and 38 delegates were part of this largest delegation of Animation and Gaming from Pakistan.

We also hosted an exclusive Pak-US P@SHA Connect event in San Francisco, where some of the best Pakistani gaming companies and most exciting US businesses enjoyed an evening of networking. 

Additionally, the US Consul General Lahore held a meeting with CG Los Angeles Asim Ali Khan to discuss the power and potential of Punjab-California Sister States and the gaming industry of Pakistan which delegates were also able to attend. 

Open Silicon Valley also organized a remarkable evening and iftar for our delegates, with distinguished guests including US and Pakistan ambassadors and officials. 

March 4, 2023

Aptech Convocation 2022

P@SHA Chairman Muhammad Zohaib Khan represented P@SHA and the IT industry at Aptech's Convocation 2022 as an esteemed guest. The Chairman also presented gold medals to recognize the best students amongst the graduating class.

March 7, 2023

9th Pakistan CIO Summit and 7th IT Showcase Pakistan 2023

The 9th Pakistan CIO Summit and 7th IT Showcase Pakistan, one of Pakistan's key tech events, took place on March 7 at Karachi Marriott Hotel. P@SHA Chairman Zohaib Khan graced the occasion along with top CIOs, IT heads, and professionals. Attendees explored this year's theme: "The Future", with insightful sessions on leaders, technologies, and security.

March 20, 2023

International Match Day

International Match Day took place on March 20. The conference showcased current topics and cross-border business development, presenting best-of-breed offerings from 5 countries: Malaysia, Pakistan, Portugal, Brazil, and Argentina.

Pakistan was represented by our lineup of speakers including CEC Member Jamil Goheer, members Farrukh Usman (founder, Byonyoks), Noman Siddiq (founder, Cloudlead), and Zunaira Omar Saqib (CEO & co-founder, The SquarePeg).

March 22, 2023

Meeting With Kashif Mehmood (Director/Rector, KASBIT)

P@SHA Chairman Muhammad Zohaib Khan met Dr. Kashif Mehmood (Director/Rector, KASBIT) at P@SHA's Karachi Office to discuss Academic & Research Collaborations and Industry-Academia Linkages.

March 2, 2023

Stakeholder Meeting: Utilizing Industrial Land in Islamabad

A meeting was held in the PM office to discuss the utilization of industrial land in Islamabad Capital Territory for the IT sector. Participants included CDA, Additional Secretary MOITT, NITB, Chamber of Commerce, NHA, Assistant Commissioner Rawalpindi and Assistant Commissioner Islamabad. 

Headed by SAPM on Government Effectiveness, the committee was constituted to follow the directive given by the PM office for IT infrastructure enablement and development. 

The committee has successfully mapped industrial areas available in Islamabad to be converted to Knowledge Economy Hubs. A detailed roadmap is being developed to encourage knowledge-based industries, development of R&D centers, accelerators and startup zones. 

NITB is digitizing the trade change process for CDA to ease the process for IT companies. 

The meeting also emphasized the need for Islamabad Police and Rawalpindi Police to create a comprehensive traffic plan in the industrial area.

March 3, 2023

Working Group Session on IT Sector for Inclusion in Development Projects

The first session of the working group on the Information Technology Sector for making recommendations for inclusion of development projects in ADP 2023-24 was held in collaboration with stakeholders such as PSEB, ITU, PITB, UET Lahore, Urban Unit Lahore, Punjab Safe Cities Authority, P@SHA, Abacus, and Techlogix. 

P@SHA Chairman Zohaib Khan, GRC Committee Member Fatima Said, and Policy Lead Kashoon Leeza represented P@SHA.

P@SHA representatives emphasized on the need to create a conducive investment climate with a data protection model and to encourage international brands to invest in Pakistan, develop skilled IT labor, promote tech transfer and domestic manufacturing of IT hardware products. 

Additionally, the group focused on addressing visa facilitation, promotion of IT product selling, smart classrooms, and engaging with the diaspora. Findings on the demand and supply gap on the skills side were shared by P@SHA with the working group.

March 13, 2023

Ministry of Commerce: Negotiations on PAK-GCC FTA

Regarding the changes made in the Pak-GCC FTA, the Ministry of Commerce recently held a meeting with participants from MOITT, PSEB, and P@SHA to discuss latest developments and build consensus on the changes made to the agreement.

One of the key changes discussed in the meeting was the definition of IT mentioned in the agreement. The participants came to a consensus on the definition and agreed on its inclusion in the agreement. The definition of digital products added to the agreement was retained. 

This change is expected to significantly impact the digital industry in Pakistan and GCC countries. As a next step, PSEB and MOITT will be presenting the changes and the consensus reached in the meeting to the Ministry of Commerce for further review and approval. 

CEC Member and Chair E-commerce Committee Khuram Rahat is leading the agreement discussion along with Policy Lead Kashoon Leeza.

March 24, 2023

Joint Review Meeting: Training & Certification Programs

The Ministry of IT & Telecom held a review meeting in collaboration with HEC to discuss training and certification programs. The primary objective of the meeting was to bring together different departments from all over Pakistan and align their efforts towards enhancing digital skill development.

Participants from P@SHA, HEC, PITB, KITB, IT Department Govt AJK, and IT Department Gilgit Baltistan provided updates on the ongoing and new digital skill development training and certificate programs. 

P@SHA also shared updates on their ongoing and planned projects, further highlighting the organization's efforts in promoting digital skill development in Pakistan.

The meeting was a great opportunity for various stakeholders to come together and collaborate on consolidating their efforts in promoting digital skill development.

March 28, 2023

2nd Technical Review Meeting: Demand Driven Industry Quality & Capacity Enhancement Program

A recent review meeting took place to discuss the current status of the project "Demand Driven Industry Quality and Capacity Enhancement Program" by NITB.

As a follow-up to the decisions of the first review meeting, P@SHA took industry feedback on 8 draft policies and guidelines across various domains. 

The sessions were led by CEC members based on domain expertise. P@SHA members also actively participated in the sessions. The suggestions shared with NITB by P@SHA have been incorporated into the draft policies and guidelines. 

To ensure that the policies meet the needs of all stakeholders, NITB will hold consultations with relevant government stakeholders. After the consultations, the policies will be uploaded to the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MOITT) website for a larger public consultation.

March 28, 2023

Pakistan Engineering Council : 1st Meeting of the Make in Pakistan Committee

The kickoff meeting of the Make in Pakistan Committee was attended by industry and government stakeholders. 

A focal point of discussion was the six-month internship program offered by the Pakistan Engineering Council to university graduates. Its success was highlighted by the fact that PEC’s interns developed a product for K-Electric, showcasing the potential of local talent and resources. 

The need to link engineering degrees with commercial skills was stressed. PEC also discussed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with K-Electric in March to develop a product that was entirely made in Pakistan, emphasizing the importance of investing in initiatives that nurture and retain top local engineering talent.

Central Executive Committee

PIAIC Patron Award

The prestigious PIAIC Patron Award was conferred upon P@SHA Chairman Muhammad Zohaib Khan at the PIAIC Certification & Patron Award Ceremony on March 22. The award recognizes his remarkable contributions to the industry, exemplary work, and unwavering commitment to innovation which set him apart as a leader in his field.

AGG Committee

Game Developers Conference 2023

As a part of the overarching objective of P@SHA to bring the Animation and Gaming community together, and facilitate the sector’s growth given its potential, the P@SHA AGG committee organized a delegation to take Pakistani gaming tech to one of the premier professional events for the game industry: Game Developers Conference.

P@SHA’s GDC Delegation was supported by MOITT, TDAP, and PSEB. The Pavilion was funded by USAID Investment Promotion Activity which is working closely with the P@SHA AGG Committee to create more funding for Pakistan's gaming industry.

Skills Committee

IT Roundtable Session at UMT Lahore

P@SHA's Learning & Development Lead Aleem Abbas attended the roundtable session on IT Sector at UMT Lahore. Focusing mainly on the issues related to skills development and the industry-academia skills gap and linkage, the session was attended by members of academia, industry, and government. 

P@SHA highlighted that the 10% employability of 25,000 annual IT graduates is a major problem and one that the organization is approaching through short-term and long-term strategies. 

P@SHA’s role in the curriculum design of Associate Degree Programs at HEC was cited as an example of a long-term solution while TechLift, the Talent Portal for Internships, scaling up of the IT bootcamp program, and the Academia Bridge program were cited as some medium-term and short-term strategies to address this issue.

Consultative Meeting, Ministry of Planning: Prime Minister’s Ba-Ikhtiyar Naujawan Internship Program

Asim Ghaffar and Syed Sajjad (P@SHA Skills Committee) and Aleem Abbas (L&D Team, P@SHA) attended the 4th meeting in the series pertaining to this program and provided feedback on the implementation of this for the IT Industry. 

In the next months, Aleem will work closely with the Ministry of Planning office and help liaison and then execute the internship program effectively. P@SHA has rolled out an EOI form for companies to indicate their intern requirements through this program. 

There are 40,000 interns paid for by the government and to be placed in the private sector out of which the IT industry can take however many required.

Meeting, Ministry of IT & Telecom: Training Landscape

Aleem Abbas also attended the meeting with the MoITT on the training landscape. Government stakeholders at the meeting included the Punjab IT Board, GB IT Board, KP IT Board, PSEB, and HEC. 

Stakeholders listed down and identified:

• Current or ongoing training programs

• Planned training programs

• Technological capabilities, websites and portals.

P@SHA provided assurance of strategic guidance, shared the industry perspective, and recommended skillsets needed by the industry.

April 5-7 , 2023

Japan IT Week in Tokyo

Japan IT Week Spring is the largest IT exhibition in Japan. In collaboration with PSEB, P@SHA has formed a delegation to attend the event. It is a valuable opportunity to learn, explore, enter the Japanese market, and do business.

April 24-27, 2023

RSA Conference in San Francisco

P@SHA collaborated with the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan, to nominate participants for the RSA Conference (RSAC) 2023 - the world’s largest annual trade show and conference for cybersecurity experts around the world.

Upcoming Events

April 12, 2023

RSVP Open: Lahore CXO Meetup

RSVPs are now open for the next CXO Meetup in our Spring 2023 - the Lahore CXO Meetup powered by Stewart. Scheduled for April 12, this CXO meetup is exclusively open to members only and offers you the chance to network with top leaders from other companies in the Center region. Be sure to register in order to attend!