Smoke and screen: forget hosting GITEX, make Pakistan friendly for IT sector first

Sometimes, I feel like Pakistan presents different faces, depending on where and what the environment is.

At GITEX GLOBAL, there was a different side of Pakistan. It was being pitched as the ‘tech destination’, and there was talk of innovation, growth. There was a sense of optimism.

At home, the situation was different.

There is still difficulty in accessing internet, issues of slow speeds, and other challenges.

Even as a journalist, there is a sense of filter. Everyone is disappointed, but not vocal. Behind the screen and off-the-record, there is an air of despair, but then a smile comes full of patriotism and hope – and here, you have a different Pakistan full of potential with the IT sector one of the few all set to pull the fifth biggest population in the world out of oblivion and onto the globe success map.

One of the questions being asked at the event in Dubai was why don’t we talk about bringing GITEX to Pakistan?

Well, in an interview carried by Business Recorder, Pakistan ambassador to the UAE Faisal Niaz Tirmizi already stated that he will follow up on the proposal. So this is now clearly on the radar.

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But despite the follow-up, there are some reasons why GITEX cannot be held in Pakistan.

A CEO of a software company pinned it on not having good relations with neighbours.

GITEX started in Dubai in 1981 with one hall at the World Trade Center. Now, as a supplementary or additional event to GITEX, Expand North Star was also organised simultaneously at the Dubai Harbour. Now in its 44th edition, GITEX GLOBAL in Dubai has expanded to 27 halls and is now also being held in Singapore, Morocco, Nigeria and Berlin.

‘If it can happen in Nigeria, why not in Pakistan?’

Another official questioned if there was a venue big enough to accommodate tens of thousands of visitors on a daily basis.

“We don’t have a place or the attitude to give a good security impression. If all LEA personnel are standing with guns, foreigners won’t come,” the official said.

However, another official of a government department said GITEX can be brought to Pakistan through collaborations such as with ITCN Asia, which organises tech events in Pakistan.

But these same officials are also aware of Pakistan’s IT problem.

Several officials admitted that there is a crisis in the IT sector – although it is under the government’s radar.

“I am saying this off-the-record. If things continue like this, I fear, instead of going up to $10 billion, IT exports may reduce ten times – from around $3 billion to $300 million,” said a software company official.

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“I cannot see or listen to or look at WhatsApp messages of a client, what image do I have and how would I continue to do business with them.”

Another person from the government side, again off-the-record, said they (whoever sets export targets) want us to jack up IT exports to $10 billion or $15 billion. “How would we be able to do this if we have internet issues,” he said.

At GITEX this year and even before that, Pakistanis were not getting UAE visas. It is understood that Pakistanis have been misusing the tourist/visit visas.

A foreign investor, who did not want to be named, said the best thing a foreigner or a foreign company can do is to pick the best talent from Pakistan and take it out of the country to get the best out of them.

While there may or may not be a shortage of potential within Pakistan’s IT sector, which is another debate, the question remains: how can the country unlock its full potential when basic infrastructure, security, and international relations stand in the way?

For now, forget hosting GITEX in Pakistan. Let us make the country more friendly to its residents first.

The article does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Business Recorder or its owners