Subsequent to the MoU signed between P@SHA and NASSCOM in Islamabad in December 2004, a delegation of software and service companies from Pakistan led by the President of P@SHA Ms. Jehan Ara, attended the Nasscom Annual Conference 2005 in Mumbai and went on to Hyderabad and Bangalore. The Conference provided a great opportunity for the delegates to network with leading players from the Indian IT industry. There was an excitement, a buzz of activity, discussions on new areas of growth, on how to improve on already successful models, complaints about airports and roads in the major IT hubs – that is one area where we seem to be ahead of our friends across the border.
Some deals were signed on the sidelines on the conference by Arwen Tech Private Limited and Emmaculate Solutions. Senior executives from Si3, Systems Ltd, yEvolve and PiSigma Group were seen absorbed in intense discussions with Indian entrepreneurs. Invitations were being extended to a number of Indian IT business people to visit Pakistan.
In Hyderabad members of the delegation met with the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and the provincial Ministers for Education and Finance, checked out various government projects including eSeva and the National Institute of Smart Government. The visit to Tata Consulting Services gave the delegates an insight into how an industrial group had delved into IT and become one of India’s top success stories. Delegates also visited the HSBC Development Centre and the Microsoft Development Centre.
The visit to the Indian School of Business (ISB) was interesting and illuminating. The P@SHA team was told that ISB is talking with Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) on the possibilities of linking up in some way – a move welcomed by all.
During the discussions with Chandarbabu Naidu, the former Chief Minister of Hyderabad, he was quick to suggest that he would talk to some of the institutions of higher learning in Hyderabad regarding exchange programs and scholarships to students from Pakistan.
The delegation’s next port of call was Bangalore. At Infosys Technologies the delegation met with the Chairman and Chief Mentor of Infosys Mr. Narayan Murthy who talked about what he thought was the potential for collaboration between the IT sectors of both our countries. ‘We need to grow this region into an economic powerhouse’, said Mr. Murthy. The President of P@SHA Ms. Jehan Ara invited Mr. Murthy to visit Pakistan. He accepted immediately. Details are being worked out for the visit later this year.
The delegation also visited vMoksha Technologies, mPhasis, iFlex Solutions and MindTree Consulting in Bangalore.
