WASHINGTON: While Pakistan hopes to impress leading US IT companies with recent initiatives and emerging character and grit of the sector, the United States seems more inclined to promote a more conducive environment to help its tech giants claim a bigger slice of the expanding market pie.

US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Olson said his country hoped to generate $15 million worth of business for ICT sector companies in Pakistan through his initiative by facilitating interaction of companies with relevant Pakistanis in public and private sector at their home ground.

Pakistan’s Board of Investment (BoI) chairman Miftah Ismail assured that the government will constitute the IP Board for effective IPR Act implementation. He expressed the government’s desire to seek US support in evolving the friendlier framework of ICT sector growth that includes specialised IP Courts and trained law practitioners to man it.

He, however, told Dawn that he would like US companies to expand their operational base in Pakistan as it has a rich pool of qualified programmers and IT professionals, investor-friendly environment and a growing market.

Dr Ismail Shah, the chairman of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), cited data to project the country’s potential in game-changing technological transformation. He mentioned the auction of 3G and 4G licences that has tremendously enhanced the scope of e- and m-commerce besides empowering people with access to a pool of information in the digital space.

There are already about 1,500 registered IT firms in the country, with more than 10,000 IT graduates entering the market every year.

In a government-to-government dialogue at the US State Department in three sessions focusing on ‘e-commerce and digital services through ICT’, ‘public-private partnership in e-governance’ and ‘creating infrastructure through entrepreneurship and intellectual property’, private sector delegates were allowed to observe and give their input in the discussion.

The US side was represented by Brain Larkin, Kay McGowan, Burak Guven-soylar, Rebecca Williams, Navid Qazi, Adam Riggs, Marion Royal, Jonathan Carpenter, Anita Dey, Jennie Ness and Joe Yang.

Mr Olson, the US ambassador, is leading a 20-member ICT delegation from Pakistan that includes Mr Ismail, Mr Shah and officials and ministers handling IT in all four provinces.

The private sector is represented by IT industry association chairperson Jehan Ara and heads of 12 leading companies including Syed Iqtidar Zaidi (Tech Access), Wahaj Siraj (Nayatel), Jamal Khan (Arpatech), Zafar Khan (Sofizar), Maria Umer (Women’s Digital league) Salina Haroon (Rasala Publication Group).

The ICT delegation is expected to spend next four days in Silicon Valley where most IT giants are based. The delegation is expected to visit Microsoft, TiE, Cisco, Google, Oracle and Innovation Lab at Stanford University.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2014