Islamabad: The local ICT industry and Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT & ITES (P@SHA) has been working round the clock to assist and help the companies whose business was affected by the fire that engulfed the Software Technology Park (Awami Markaz) on 10 September 2017.
Newly appointed Chairman P@SHA, Barkan Saeed was at the site on Sunday to assess the damage and start business recovery works; he said
“We are saddened to witness the devastating fire at Software Technology Park (Awami Markaz) Islamabad and of the tragic loss of life and property. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of the affected. We the private industry Association will do everything to ensure the business does not suffer”
Read: P@SHA Announces New Leadership: CEC 2017-2018
The following companies were affected by the fire:
- AKSA – Software Development Solutions (Pvt) Ltd
- Arkotech Corporation
- Croem Inc
- Digital Processing Systems
- Fliegen IT Solutions (Pvt) Ltd
- Gulfnet Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd (Apex ERP)
- Innvente Software Development Solution
- Knowledge Platform (Pvt) Ltd
- Locopixel (Pvt) Ltd
- Ora-Tech Systems (Pvt) Ltd
- OUTPOST – Information Systems and Technology Services
- Phlox Solutions
- PlanetBeyond (Data Center)
- Smart-IS (SMC Pvt) Ltd
- Techlogix (Pvt) Ltd
- Think Technology Solutions (Pvt) Ltd
- Viper Technology (Pvt) Ltd
According to P@SHA, an estimated 1, 000 people who worked in these offices are affected; the property destroyed has been valued at over PKR 250 million while combined annual export revenue of these companies was approximately USD 10 million.
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Immediately, social media statuses extending support from the local industry were seen. In order to provide immediate relief to the affected companies, the following measures are under place:
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Free office space of 150 seats/ workstations from PTCL at their Zero Point office
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Free office space offered by NUML university
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Free and priority shifting installation of High speed internet connectivity by Nayatel (to relocated office or home from where the employees are working temporarily)
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Employees working from home will be given free 10Mbps 100GB connections for a month from NayaTel
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Free hardware from Viper Technologies (servers, PCs, Workstations)
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Free two month internet for employees working from home by PTCL
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Discounted data center and cloud services by PTCL
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Free space offered by IT & ITES companies in Islamabad
The IT & ITES industry has set an exemplary precedent of coming together and helping each other in the face of adversity. Companies who in instances are business competitors have opened their doors to accommodate the fire affectees, ensuring business continuity and mitigating loss. Compelling scenes of compassion and generosity can be seen across the IT & ITES community of Islamabad. P@SHA is proud to be the representative of this extraordinary industry and the remarkable people who form it.
