October 25, 2023
Policy Roundtables 2023
●The Past, Present and Future of Games and Animation
P@SHA held a panel discussion on Games and Animation titled: The Past, Present and Future of Games and Animation. The objective of the session was to announce the launch of the first ever Animation and Games ecosystem report made by P@SHA in partnership with MLabs.
The report presents a thorough analysis of the current landscape of the sub sectors along with highlighting its potential to grow. The launch presentation was followed by a joint presentation by Ali Ihsan Animation and Games committee chair and Fasieh Mehta from Quixel to educate the industry on how to reap benefits and correctly capitalize on the CEGA initiative.
Lastly the session concluded with a panel discussion on how the industry can achieve its exports target of 3 billion by the year 2030. It was moderated by Imran Azhar of AZcorp, and the panel included Hassan Bin Rizwan (Sabaq) , Haris Izhar (Gamestorm) and Gulfam Asghar (Sablo Studios)
The Animation and Games report is accessible here.
● Think and Sync: Industry Academia Unite
We hosted a skills roundtable "Think and Sync: Industry Academia Unite! Aleem Abbas and Safa Hassany from the Skills team conducted the session with Bilal Mahmood hosting it as Co-Chair of the Skills Committee.
The goal of the roundtable was to identify key areas of collaboration between industry and academia. Moreover, to allow both stakeholders, along with key enablers such as HEC and PSEB to vote on the initiatives identified by P@SHA. The roundtable was attended by major players from industry along with an impressive representation from tier 1, 2 and 3 Universities from Sindh.
P@SHA plans to partner with academia through an EOI to ensure its involvement in such collaborative initiatives and to scale up training programs to a national level.
●Made in Pakistan: Potential, Challenges, and Ways Forward
The Policy team organized a roundtable, hosting a dynamic discussion among IT leaders on the theme "Made in Pakistan: Potential, Challenges, and Ways Forward." The session was moderated by Shahzad Shahid, P@SHA CEC member, and co-chaired by industry luminaries such as Naseer A. Akhtar, Jamil Goheer, Khushnood Aftab, and Sharif Ud Din Khilji.
The discussion explored challenges in the tech industry, focusing on strategies to broaden Pakistan's IT sector’s product base. The discussion addressed obstacles to the "Made in Pakistan" concept, including limited government spending on IT sector innovation and buyer distrust.
Key points included, establishing a tech product base, the significance of Special Technology Zones (STZs), and the collective role of buyers, sellers, and the government. Insights from academia, industry, and students covered intellectual property rights, bureaucratic hurdles, bureaucratic obstacles within government bodies like PPRA and FBR, and data privacy.
Suggestions were made for P@SHA to bridge the industry-academia gap, and regulatory challenges were highlighted, proposing a nationwide awareness campaign for the "Made in Pakistan" brand.
●Cyber security trends and Personal Data Protection for National Security
The Policy team organized a successful roundtable on "Cybersecurity Trends and Personal Data Protection for National Security." Moderated by Mr. Azam Mughal, Chair of the Cyber Security Committee at P@SHA, the event brought together experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to explore the intersection of personal data protection and national security in
Pakistan.
The discussion analyzed the Personal Data Protection Bill, the 2023 draft, and existing legislative frameworks like PECA and sectoral laws. Panelists stressed the need for business-oriented data protection laws, incorporating Risk Assessment for economic activities and information protection. The discussion also covered the rules in PECA and NCERT, licensing mechanisms for data protection, and the importance of a transparent framework.
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