A P@SHA delegation led by Muhammad Zohaib Khan, Central Executive Committee Member and Chair of the Special Initiative Committee, held a meeting on November 4 with Gilgit-Baltistan Minister for Planning and Development Syed Jalal Ali Shah. The discussion centred on the potential of the information technology industry in Gilgit-Baltistan and the opportunities available for developing it further. The delegation also included Nadia Iqbal, former Central Executive Committee Member, Kashoon Leeza, Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives, Syeda Safa H., Lead for Skills Development, and Kashif Hussain, Research Lead.
According to P@SHA, the talks focused on proposed initiatives in three areas: skills development, IT trade delegations, and future projects aimed at supporting the technology sector in Gilgit-Baltistan and widening its links with larger markets. Specific commitments, timelines, and funding arrangements were not disclosed in the announcement, which described the meeting as productive. Skills development is a natural starting point, since a trained workforce is the base on which software houses, freelancers, and service exporters depend, while trade delegations can give regional companies direct access to buyers and partners in major Pakistani cities and overseas markets.
The meeting builds on earlier work by the association in the region. In late 2025, P@SHA released the first diagnostic study of the IT and IT-enabled services sector in Gilgit-Baltistan, developed with local stakeholders, which estimated annual revenue from the regional technology sector at between 15 million and 18 million dollars. The report described a sector that remains small but shows promising growth, with local companies offering software development, web design, and basic IT solutions to clients in Pakistani cities and abroad, and it set out recommendations on talent, funding, market access, and institutional support. P@SHA also hosted a CXO meetup in Gilgit in November 2025 with government officials, industry leaders, and entrepreneurs, and the region now has a representative on its Central Executive Committee for the first time.
Challenges raised by the local industry give context to the discussion. The Gilgit-Baltistan Software Houses Association has previously drawn attention to long hours of power outages and internet disruptions that affect companies and freelancers, appealing to national stakeholders to act. Any programme of skills training or trade promotion will depend partly on reliable electricity and connectivity, which are issues that fall within the responsibilities of the provincial government and federal agencies. By engaging the Planning and Development Minister directly, P@SHA has opened a channel with the department that oversees development projects and public sector investment in the region. Further meetings and follow up steps are expected, and the association has said it will continue to work with government and industry partners to expand the technology sector in Gilgit-Baltistan.
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