Islamabad, August 29: The Asia-Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) and Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) announced that Pakistan will be officially hosting the APICTA Awards this year for the first time.

Hosted by PA@SHA, the APICTA Executive Committee meeting with delegates from 16 member economies including Malaysia, Australia, Sri Lanka, and Chinese Taipei was held in Serena Hotel, Islamabad. It was announced that Pakistan has successfully won the bid to host the APICTAs Awards, making it a historic milestone for Pakistan’s IT & ITeS industry. First held in 2001, the APICTA Awards have previously been hosted by member economies such as Australia, Malaysia, China, and Singapore. The Awards have proven to be a productive force to develop the local & regional economy and have already led to lucrative business opportunities for qualifying Pakistan IT & IteS companies in the recent past.

By hosting APICTA awards, Pakistan would have an opportunity to position its strategic case for ‘Make in Pakistan’. Majority of APICTA delegations will be first-time visitors to Pakistan and at least 200 international delegates are expected for the 5-day event, including IT leaders, entrepreneurs, policymakers, foreign officials, researchers and students which will help further strengthen a progressive image of Pakistan.

Entry into the APICTA Awards is only possible by qualifying through similar awards programs conducted by the authorized representative of each member economy. P@SHA, being the sole authorised representative within APICTA, is the only gateway for Pakistani IT & IteS enterprises, startups, and students to enter APICTA Awards. To be fair and transparent, the rules for the jurors are highly regulated, with a mature judging system and advisory judges to verify the decisions as impartial. Any intentional anomalies can even lead to disqualification of judges.

Applications for the P@SHA ICT Awards are open till September 5th and may be submitted via www.pashaictawards.com.

Chairman APICTA, Jit Sing Santok Singh appreciated Pakistan’s recognition of talent and expressed that he expects more opportunities through this knowledge transfer coming to the country after hosting the awards. While discussing the need of such opportunities he added “ICT is not a business enabler, it IS the business.” He expressed his sincere thanks to P@SHA for their support. Further looking forward to a great event and are hoping to make this an event with some great memories to take back.”

Stating APICTA Awards as the “Oscars of IT” in the region Chairman P@SHA, Badar Khushnood said “Pakistan is transitioning from an industrial economy to a knowledge economy. It is the right time to showcase the digital & tech talent of Pakistan to the world.”

About APICTA
The Asia-Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) is an association of ICT communities nominated by member economies in the region who come together in the spirit of collaboration, forming a cooperative network to promote technology innovation and development of indigenous ICT solutions for the global market via an annual awards program known as the APICTA Awards. It currently comprises 16 member economies including Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, China, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Vietnam.

About P@SHA
Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT and ITES (P@SHA) is the sole trade body for Pakistan’s IT industry and a registered association with DGTO under the Ministry of Commerce. It was founded in the year 1992 to represent, promote and develop the software and IT services industry in Pakistan. It works closely with the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT) and Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB).

It is the only Pakistani entity globally registered with and recognized by institutions such as WISTA (World Information Technology and Services Alliance), ASOCIO (Asian Oceanic Computing Industry Organization), and APICTA (Asia Pacific ICT Alliance).

For more details, please contact Badar Khushnood (chairman@pasha.org.pk) or Hira Zainab
(sg@pasha.org.pk)