A P@SHA delegation led by Muhammad Zohaib Khan, a member of the P@SHA Central Executive Committee and Chair of its Special Initiative Committee, visited the SCO Software Technology Park and Nagar Tech Valley in Gilgit-Baltistan on November 4. The visit was meant to help the association understand the region’s technology landscape, look at possible partnerships and discuss how P@SHA can support the growth of the local technology community. It is one of the association’s visits aimed at reaching technology communities outside the main business centres.
During the visits, the delegation met local technology companies and other stakeholders in the area’s technology ecosystem. These meetings gave P@SHA a first hand view of how the region’s companies work, what support they need and how they could connect with wider markets. The association said the visits also offered a chance to look at ways of strengthening Gilgit-Baltistan’s IT ecosystem and its links with the rest of the country’s technology industry. P@SHA did not announce any agreement or programme after the visit, so the practical results will depend on what follows these first conversations. For companies in a remote region, closer contact with a national industry body can open the way to customers, partners and training that are harder to reach from a distance.
The delegation included Nadia Iqbal, a former CEC member, Kashoon Leeza, Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives, Syeda Safa H., Lead for Skills Development, and Kashif Hussain, Research Lead. The mix of policy, skills development and research roles suggests the visit looked at several kinds of support, from helping local companies reach customers to training and studying the needs of the region’s technology sector.
The visit comes as Gilgit-Baltistan gains new digital infrastructure. The Special Communications Organization recently launched trial 5G services at several locations across Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, with more sites planned by the end of the year, and local technology companies stand to benefit from better connectivity. P@SHA, which represents Pakistan’s IT industry, has been widening its work beyond the major cities, and the trip adds to its recent engagements at regional events. Further updates on how it plans to work with technology companies in Gilgit-Baltistan are likely to be shared through its channels, and local firms will be watching for concrete steps after the first meetings.
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