Day two of ITCN Asia 2026 featured a focused policy roundtable that placed Pakistan’s information technology export ambitions at the center of industry discussion. Held on January 18 in Lahore, the high level session was convened by P@SHA’s Policy Team and titled “Scaling Pakistan’s IT Exports from $3.8B to $15B: Identifying Critical Bottlenecks in Market Access, Infrastructure, Policy, and Skills.” The discussion formed part of ITCN Asia’s broader agenda to facilitate meaningful dialogue between private sector leaders and key stakeholders involved in shaping the country’s digital and technology driven economy.
The roundtable brought together senior executives, policy professionals, and ecosystem representatives from across Pakistan’s IT and software services landscape. Participants examined the structural constraints that continue to limit export growth despite rising global demand for digital services. Market access challenges, including limited international visibility and barriers to entry in mature markets, were discussed alongside infrastructure related issues such as connectivity reliability, data hosting capacity, and cost pressures. Policy alignment also featured prominently, with participants highlighting the need for predictable regulations, streamlined compliance processes, and stronger coordination between public and private stakeholders to support sustained export expansion. Skills development emerged as another central theme, particularly the importance of aligning academic output and professional training with evolving global technology requirements.
The session opened with a welcome address by Chairman P@SHA, Sajjad Syed, who outlined the scale of the opportunity available to Pakistan’s IT sector if existing bottlenecks are addressed in a coordinated manner. His remarks set the tone for a candid exchange of views focused on practical solutions rather than broad aspirations. The discussion was moderated by Ahsan Jamil, Member GRC Committee P@SHA, and Nadeem Aslam Malik, former Secretary General P@SHA, whose facilitation helped guide the conversation across multiple interconnected areas. Their moderation ensured that perspectives from both established exporters and emerging companies were reflected, while also drawing attention to policy level interventions that could deliver measurable impact over the medium term.
Throughout the roundtable, participants emphasized that scaling exports from $3.8 billion to $15 billion would require consistent effort across several fronts rather than isolated initiatives. Improving global market positioning through branding and trade diplomacy was seen as equally important as strengthening domestic capabilities. Infrastructure investments were discussed not only in terms of physical connectivity but also digital readiness, cybersecurity resilience, and access to modern development tools. Policy related input focused on taxation clarity, incentives aligned with export performance, and long term continuity to allow firms to plan and invest with confidence. On the skills front, attendees highlighted the need for industry driven curricula, expanded upskilling programs, and closer collaboration between academia and employers to ensure talent remains competitive internationally.
P@SHA acknowledged the contributions of all participants and expressed appreciation for the depth of insight shared during the discussion. The roundtable was positioned as part of an ongoing policy engagement process aimed at translating dialogue into actionable recommendations for stakeholders across the ecosystem. By convening industry leaders at ITCN Asia 2026, P@SHA reinforced its role as a platform for collaborative problem solving, with the shared objective of strengthening Pakistan’s position in the global IT services market and supporting sustainable export growth through informed policy and industry alignment.
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