Pakistan and India can boost their mutual trade in Information and Technology (IT) sector up to colossal US$ 5 billion through joint-ventures, investment and exchange of expertise.
This was stated by Jehan Ara President Pakistan Software Houses Association in the exclusive interview to ProPakistani on her return to Pakistan after leading a delegation of country’s top-notch figures of IT industry.
Briefing about her business trip, she said Pakistanis and Indian IT titans have decided to carry on their efforts for developing an “India-Pakistan e-land” at the border where people can meet, interact, teach, learn and jointly develop intellectual property.
They will work to convince their respect governments to allow telecommunications access to work across borders. They will continue to investment in young people, facilitate exchanges, and provide education and skilling to enable them to achieve their potential, Jehan Ara said.
Pakistani and Indian IT committee of Aman Ki Asha has successfully held the bilateral talks separately on both sides of borders in December and March aimed at enhancing trade ties in the field of IT, which is one of six sectors with great trade attraction between two countries.
“Indian IT market is huge with volumetric exports but it is lacking of high quality of services, in contrast, Pakistani market is small comparatively but has gained tremendous reputation with its products and services,” she said and added “these two countries will aid each other to enhance their quantum and quality of IT services and products.”
Pakistani IT firms are experts of gaming and animation whereas Indians are master service providers of IT-enable services, she said. How will it conducive the India set up their BPO’s in Pakistan and exchange expertise of gaming and animation from Pakistan, she further explained.
There are lots of hurdles to set up software houses in each other countries by the two states but it is an easy solution to make a joint platform in third country such as UAE, Singapore or Malaysia, she said.
Visa policy by both states to IT entrepreneurs is very strict with tough conditions. Besides, there is no bank of Pakistan in India and Indian in Pakistan to ensure letter of credits (LCs) facility and exchange of money by the two sides. Therefore, these measures must be resolved by the both government to facilitate entrepreneurs of their countries, she said.
The third venue is the most viable option for IT entrepreneurs of India and Pakistan as a matter of fact that they could start work on mutual project at the earliest, which will pave the way towards real business and trade opportunities at cities of each other countries, President Pasha said.
She added the real growth in trade between the two countries particularly in the field of IT could multiply significantly when India and Pakistan establish and operate their offshore offices at each other lands.
She said the two countries have large young populations whose energies can, with proper education and skills training, be utilized productively in order to reap the ‘demographic dividend’ and build collaborative projects between the youth of both countries.
These countries have much to offer each other, with Pakistan providing a host of IT graduates that India could utilize by building collaborative development centers and India providing skills development to the significant IT product companies in Pakistan. The companies could also jointly tap the huge domestic market in both countries and global opportunities for IT solutions especially in emerging markets in the Middle East, Africa and South America, Jehan Ara said.
Aman ki Asha IT Committees
India: Dr Ganesh Natarajan (Mission Leader), Chairman CII National Committee on IT & ITES, Vice Chairman and CEO, Zensar Technologies; Mr Harsh Manglik, Chairman, NASSCOM & Co-Chairman-India & Geography Managing Director Accenture; Ms Nandita Mohan Gurjar, Senior Vice President & Group Head – Human Resources Infosys Technologies Pvt. Ltd, Mr Pradeep Udhas, Executive Director, KPMG Advisory Services Pvt Ltd.; Dr Uma Ganesh CEO Global Talent Track Ltd Ms Prameela Kalive, Vice President & Business Head, Zensar Technologies; Mr Rahul Mohod, Chief Executive Officer iResolvIT Pty Limited, Sydney; Mr Govind Das Sharma (Mission Manager), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Rasika Waikalkar, Coordinator, Young Indians
Pakistan: Jehan Ara, President, Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT & ITES (P@SHA); Humayun Bashir, Country Head, Pakistan IBM; Yusuf Jan, Co-Founder, Mixit Technologies; Ashraf Kapadia, Managing Director Systems Ltd; Ali Jameel, Executive Director, TRG; Naseer Akhtar, President & CEO, Infotech Pvt Ltd; Salman Akhtar, CEO, Techlogix; Ziad Bashir, Chairman, Arwen Technologies, Nadeem Elahi, Country Manager TRG; Salim Ghauri, President, NetSol Technologies, Sultan Hamdani, COO, Maison Consulting Pvt Ltd
A peace between these countries can bring prosperity and economic growth for both nations. No doubt, Pakistani IT Professionals are coming out of crowd and proving their capabilities. In last 1 year, we observed top rated applications developed by Pakistanis. Unfortunately, our Government is not clear about policies and procedures to guide these professionals. On individual basis, we are quite competent and intelligent. MashAllah, I feel so proud to see our professionals proving themselves in whole world.
Why do you need a pakistani bank in India. There are common foreign banks in both countries. Standard Chartered, Citibank and tons other foreign banks are in both countries.