P@SHA to Launch ‘Digital Pakistan 2020’ Campaign

Chairman of Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) Syed Ahmad, announced the launch of  ‘Digital Pakistan 2020’ campaign at its 3rd Grand Tech Executive Meetup held in Karachi this evening.

Previous two events in the series were held in Islamabad and Lahore, while the fourth meeting will be organized in Peshawar.

The event was part of an ongoing series to unite top tech executives in the industry with young and emerging startups to collectively address the issues that the industry is facing. The objective is to promote diversity in technology and innovation and collaborate with the Government to address impediments to growth, such as quality human capital, infrastructure and taxation related issues, that are being faced by individuals as well as companies in the IT sector.

Syed Ahmad explained that several other regional countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, Jordan, Indonesia and India have successfully established a knowledge-based economy powered by technology. “Digital Pakistan 2020” campaign aims to create a similar environment in Pakistan.

“The IT industry can address two of Pakistan’s major issues; creation of almost 300,000 new white collar jobs for the youth, and an export jump to reach 5 billion US dollars per year by 2020,” said Syed Ahmad.

According to Syed, P@SHA will be spearheading the Digital Pakistan 2020 campaign in collaboration with key stakeholders in the industry. However, support and strength of IT companies in big numbers would be needed to create a major impact and get quantitative results in this regard.

He elaborated that P@SHA is also in the process of creating separate community platforms for freelancers and startups in Pakistan, where they will be able to find information and advice on how to take their ventures forward. They will also be able to get their queries answered through an official platform and voice their concerns related to issues like payments, taxation etc.

The Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT & ITES (P@SHA) is the trade association representing the IT and IT Enabled Services sector. It aims to continue being the voice of the IT sector by providing platforms that are geared towards creating more opportunities for members of the ecosystem both domestically and internationally, create a collaborative sphere and arrange workshops and trainings aimed to enhance the quality of startups and freelancers.

Impressions from the Event

Many dignitaries and tech professionals were in attendance at the event in Karachi. Given Pakistan’s potential in IT, many of the attendees were of the view that official support and lack of education about IT amongst the decision makers at the provincial level was a serious matter that had to be tackled as well. For a country’s IT sector to flourish, there was a need to induct professionals who understand the ebbs and flows of the global, and more crucially, the local technological landscape at both the provincial and federal levels.

Even though the event focused on answering the queries of tech companies with regards to various taxation, political, technological and infrastructural issues that were unique to the Pak IT sector, a query was raised from one of the attendees about what P@SHA can do to better serve the interest of freelancers. Freelancers from Pakistan are another focus area for P@SHA, given how instrumental they’ve grown in bringing invaluable foreign exchange into Pakistan.

All in all, P@SHA has taken a step in the right direction, setting off a debate about the need for Pakistani tech companies to come together and represent the interests of a vital component of 21st century Pakistan.

Youtube is UNBANNED in PAKISTAN

After over three years of being told to ‘Surf Safely’, Internet users in the country were able to access the popular video-sharing website, YouTube, following orders from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) that the website be unblocked.

However, digital rights groups and other stakeholders, who had originally opposed the blocking of the website, still have concerns over the deal – struck between the government and Google – which may empower the former to censor content on the website.

YouTube was blocked in September 2012, after a blasphemous film, ‘Innocence of Muslims’, triggered global protests. The government of Pakistan initially tried to restrict access to the clip inside Pakistan, but ended up having to block the entire website because Google refused to restrict access to the video on the website itself.

“We have directed all ISPs to unblock the website as Google informed us on January 12 that a country version of YouTube has been launched for Pakistan. Google has been using country versions for different countries such as Saudi Arabia,” a PTA official, who was not authorised to speak on the record, told Dawn.

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Google’s accession to govt demands worries digital rights activists

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“Google has also informed us that objectionable content will be restricted in Pakistan. It has assured that, in the future, content can be restricted at the request of the government of Pakistan,” he said.

A spokesperson for Google told Dawn via email, “We are glad that YouTube is now accessible in Pakistan so viewers can watch and share videos, as well as take advantage of the vibrant and growing global online video community.”

Internet Service Providers Association of Pakistan (ISPAK) Convener Wahajus Siraj told Dawn that he had checked to see if the objectionable video could still be accessed on YouTube.

“The film is no longer available on the website. There are certain purported links, but when I tried to open them, it told me the content could not be viewed in Pakistan. This shows that the government’s demands have been met,” he said.

“It doesn’t make a difference whether one types in youtube.com.pk or simply youtube.com. It seems that the website is filtering IP addresses and it gives Internet users in Pakistan the ‘PK’ version irrespective. This is a positive development,” he said.

Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) Chairman Syed Ahmad told Dawn that restoring access to the website was a good step because YouTube was a major source of educational material and several users depended on it for updates on new technology.

“We were concerned that not opening the website would hurt Pakistanis far more than it would hurt Google,” he said.

“Now, however, thanks to the localisation, the website won’t be blocked because of political issues. But there are still concerns that the government will be able to get content restricted,” he said.

“Although control lies with the management of YouTube, but if someone uploads a video critiquing government corruption, the Pakistani government can ask for the video to be restricted. In addition, the management of YouTube will have to pay more attention to the government’s demands making it easier for the government to censor content,” he said.

Digital Rights Foundation Executive Director Nighat Dad said that there was no transparency in the agreement between the government and Google.

“Earlier, the government used to say that the issue was pending before the Supreme Court and the court would decide. However, a few days ago, restrictions on YouTube were relaxed and then, suddenly. we came to know that Google representatives were in Pakistan and it was announced that the website had been localised,” she said.

“The agreement should be made public because that is how we can know what kind of material has been restricted and what kind of content will be restricted in the future,” she said.

Source of Info: Dawn.com

ODO, a self cleaning denim startup from Pakistan

ODO, a self cleaning denim startup from Pakistan, is aiming to produce jeans and shirts that will auto clean and will never be require a wash. It has crossed $100,000 mark on Kickstarter for its campaign already.

The startup is founded by LUMS alumni Salman Chaudry, who credits the inspiration for ODO to Levi boss Chip Bergh. Bergh had famously stated that he hadn’t washed his jeans in over a year.

Unlike other people who simply shook their heads in disgust and moved on to finding out which ‘Friends’ character they most resembled, Chaudry started thinking hard. A background in textile that’s lasted half a decade meant he was well aware of the amount of water consumed in manufacturing jeans. So how do you avoid sending your jeans to the cleaners and save water? By making them stink and stain proof, of course.

What seems like magic is actually – surprise surprise – science. ODO makes their denim stink proof by interweaving their fabric with pure metallic silver fibers, which counteract the bacteria that feed on sweat and cause an odor. The anti stain feature is a result of how ODO manufacture their products. Instead of a flat surface, their fabric has billions of microscopic peaks, which reduces the contact between the denim and anything touching it. With no adhesion, everything just rolls right off. Here’s the anti-stain denim in action:

Right now, the project is making waves on Kickstarter. The $10,000 goal has been left far behind as 829 backers have pledged more than $108,000 – that too with 28 days left to go. This means ODO is officially the most successful Pakistani project till date. Farhan Masood, one of the brightest minds from Pakistan and the founder of SoloInsight (a ProPakistani favorite), had this to say about ODO:

"I am so Proud to announce that the Kickstarter campaign ODO - Self-Cleaning Denim (made in Pakistan) a startup by a LUMS Alumni Salman Choudhry from Lahore (now in SF) has achieved the rank of highest funded Kickstarter campaign by a Pakistani. They have already crossed $108,045 in their raise and have 29 more days to go.."

They are supported by Founder's Institute's Adeo Ressi and Tesla's Elon Musk (insider info). I have the honor to personally mentor this startup.

Now there’s an endorsement!

If you want to snag some clothes you won’t ever have to wash or clean, head over to the ODO Kickstarter page here. You have the option to purchase a scarve, T-shirt or jeans – all made from the odor free and stain free fabric. Shipping is expected to start in June 2016.

We wish the ODO team best of luck in their Kickstart campaign and subsequent journey. 2016 is already off to a great start and we can’t wait to see what Pakistani startups bring us over the next 12 months!