About
TechLahore in the year 2009.
It’s not really very important who I am. But I’ll tell you what I do. I am a software entrepreneur (partly) based in Lahore, Pakistan. I’ve founded several companies and have worked not only in Pakistan, but also in the US for many years, and continue to do so. I have frequently conducted business in Asia and Europe as well.
This blog is about the technology industry in Lahore, and in Pakistan. And at times, it will simply degenerate into being about what it’s like to live in Lahore when you’re someone like me: a tech-minded, patriotic, LEGO-loving, political moderate. I am sure if there’s another soul out there that matches the aforementioned description, s/he would absolutely LOVE this blog 
My apologies to all other visitors.
I can be contacted at techlahore@gmail.com. There have been several queries regarding how readers can contribute articles, and requests for interviews. If you are interested in contributing, please send me a draft copy of the proposed article to the email address listed above. I will typically respond within a day or so to let you know when/if it will be posted. I will not accept promotional materials for a particular company, off-topic articles or disparaging pieces not grounded in fact.
As for interviews, I am happy to respond to email interviews while maintaining the TechLahore identity.
hmmmm now I have to figure out who you are!
Well technology is all about humans. Good to know someone realizes that. Cheers.
Aha another desi bullish on Pakistan despite the crap we all went through in 2007 .
Good to know that the bullish group is growing.
We bulls need to hang out together more.
In 1999, PAK economy was $75 billion @ 3.5% growth. Foreign reserves below $1 billion. Our Exports stagnated at $7 billion. KHI stock worth $5 billion at 700 points. Revenue Rs.308 billion. Debt servicing 65% of our GDP and Development program Rs.80 billion. Pakistan had DEFAULTED & BANKRUPT!
Now in 2007, our Economy is $160 billion @ 6% growth. Foreign reserves $16 billion. Exports $18 billion. KHI stock exchange worth $65 billion at 14,000 points. Revenue above Rs.800 billion. Debt servicing reduced to 26% of GDP. Development programs RS.520 billion. WE ARE STABLE NOW !!!
It was good to find this blog and the story on Lahore students being recognised abroad.
We have added your link to the blogroll at Lahore Nama.
cheers, RR
I’ve done the same, Raza. Thank you for visiting… your blog is very interesting and I intend to keep up with it.
I would like to invite contributions from authors of this list, and readers to visit http://scitechwire.paksef.org. If you interested in contributing news relating to Science and Technology in Pakistan, email me at arafiq@paksef.org
Thanks!
Would like to come and join us . and take a brand new section that we are looking forward to set up. The Technology Center.
You can exactly do what you are doing here. Just on Our website, Pak1stanfirst.com..
Let us know?
For Pak1stan..
Keeping national Interest First!
Pak1stanfirst.com
Ali Khan, great effort. I salute you and am certainly a huge believed in, “Pakistan First!”
Why don’t you pull TechLahore RSS feeds to your site and that way I can have one place to blog conveniently, and you can provide all my content in your look and feel. Best of both worlds.
The Future of Call Centers in Pakistan
“It’s believed that for any international call center operations, the nerve is telecom link and in Pakistan the weakest support one has is which is being provided by PTCL. The cost of utility is so high that the more you use the more you pay, the process of import is very cumbersome, and expensive and visa constraints on international employees and investors.”
By Munawar Iqbal
Some experts claim that Pakistan is at the brink of a technology revolution but when we analyze the ground realities thing seems to be totally otherwise. There is nothing wrong in being an optimist but to have an objective conclusion we ought to have a pragmatic approach. When we talk about growth in IT sector, it would not be a pessimistic view that progress is too little, too late. Moreover sometime it looks like even deteriorating. It’s a fact that in the past few years we have witnessed positive growth in many areas of the industry. One of the growth phenomena was of call centers. But now I seriously doubt that call centers are here to stay.
The people who think the business of call center should thrive in Pakistan present the argument that our neighbor India, has been in this business for last so many of years and is able to earn more that $ 18 billion every year. This viewpoint further suggests that by providing these services Pakistan could also fetch a huge amount as Pakistan has all the tools required to catch up India. They further claim that Pakistan is now an alternate to the west for call centers and that is the theme, they want to catch on.
While making comparison with India, several factors should be considered who have contributed and as a result India has emerged as a major location for IT-enabled services such as call centers and customer support centers. Lower input costs, reasonably good infrastructure, a trained English-speaking workforce and a favorable time zone differential vis-à-vis the US that has spurred the growth of the call center industry in India.
Yes, Pakistan is blessed with almost all of above mentioned attributes and the folks who bank on these similarities with India have some other reasons to be hopeful. According to this viewpoint Pakistan could grab the opportunity as government of India is all set to impose a income tax on all call centers owned by foreign companies and a proposal is under consideration in New Delhi to tax activities conducted over International Private Leased Connections (IPLC) that carry India’s voice and data traffic.
I do believe that comparative analysis is a must to lay solid foundations of success. But before turning the weaknesses of our competitor into our strength we must not commit the mistake of being selective or wishful in the process of making comparison. I wonder
how we can overlook the recent report of Springboard Research, which says that the introduction of the 15% Sale Tax in the financial year 2006-07 increased the price of computers which increased the cost of doing business. The average price of PC reported by local assemblers and retailers increased up to 20%.
The above mentioned report further elaborate that this is one of the factors which have negatively impacted the growth of the IT sector as evident by export figures for the first six months of the financial year 2007-08. If the value of exports for the first six months is extrapolated to the full year it would be 149.37 Million, which is a growth of 28.7% over the previous year. This is well below the growth registered in previous years. The question is very simple that if we are dealing with same mind set at the helm of affairs who can not comprehend the disaster that our computer industry is facing how and why they would be any different in regard with call centers.
WE have mentioned positive attributes of the call centers industry in Pakistan but in spite if them the industry is not picking up. It’s believed that for any international call center operations, the nerve is telecom link and in Pakistan the weakest support one has is which is being provided by PTCL. The cost of utility is so high that the more you use the more you pay, the process of import is very cumbersome, and expensive and visa constraints on international employees and investors.
The list of obstacles not ends here and you may add so many others in it e.g. lack of mass awareness of this industry by government /private media, which is of course absolutely necessary to motivate our educated youth about the potential of the industry. There is no training subsidization by the government, we lack IT enabled infrastructure and there more importantly there is no support or encouragement from Pakistani missions abroad. Overseas Pakistanis also developed a non-cooperative behavior from business houses towards call center.
The issue of availability of abundant brokers is a menace that are out to make money out of Pakistani call centers, by offering failed schemes but there is no check on the part of government on such middlemen. Moreover, there is no facilitation from investment bankers and banks on financing the call centers. The dream of a thriving call centers industry in Pakistan can be achieved only when the government would ensure good IT enabled infrastructure, good human resource, creating a vibrant image of call center career among the youth and enabling financial institutes to understand the concept of call centers. Last but no least, the Pakistani missions abroad ought to realize there primary task and that is creating new economic opportunities for there country.
* The writer is the founding president of Pakistan Computer Association (PCA), a representative body of computer industry in Pakistan.
I love the swinelist concept I think it could be made a bit more comprehensive (like each company on that list should have incidents listed separately etc).
Please put an RSS feed link on your site. I would really (really) appreciate it.
i want to submit a news for your blog…can i have your email address.
Good job buddy, keep it up…
I also want to post few articles…
Can I have your email Address or something where I can post my stuff…
Keep up the good work…
Enjoy…
Dear Mr Tech Lahore: Salam-Alae-Kum
We are a media organization in USA, with registration # 1100, at Rolla Chamber of Commerce, Phelps County, Missouri, USA.
We would like to connect with your self.
Please advice your email address
[PS: if you desire, you may google or yahoo to investigate myself(Engr Arshad Ali Khan) or UmmaaBroadcasting]…
Best Regards, Arshad Ali Khan, UmmaaBroadcasting,
PMB # 283, 1028 South Bishop, Rolla, Missouri-65401, USA
[Email: ummaabroadcasting@rollanet.org & Fax: 573-364-2007]
[Listed under media at: http://www.rollachamber.org
Mr. Arshad, Wa-aliekum. My email address is techlahore@gmail.com
Hi,
Congrats of having very good blog with useful information. I would like to share latest Microsoft certifications information here. I’ll send you press release if you can publish it.
Have A Nice Day
thanks
Muzammal
I am thankful to you for informing us that we are on top …(Pakistan has world’s largest WiMAX network – Will America catch up?”, wonders TMCnet ..) .
We need a few basic things in Pakistan that we may not be even be on the top 20 list …but those must be done first (’cause being top in other items will come in secondary) :
Clean and continuous supply of water to drink and use..
Continuous supply of electricity
Control on traffic movement ..at least move in your own lanes ( and have lanes marked )….
Removal of trash from streets/neighborhoods in a normal manner..
Orderly construction of infra-strc, commercial and housing..
Can you please find where do we stand on these basic items currently ? And if there is a plan at-all to achieve these in the early future..???
My instinct says that Pakistanis are brilliant and with the ingenuity they have..”WE CAN DO IT..”
Thanks, Arif Kazmi
Mr. Arif Kazmi, thank you for your comment. You seem to know of specific areas where you believe we could be doing better. And I would agree with you. But rather than ask me to “find out” where we stand on these issues, would it not be more interesting for all of us to learn what you are doing to alleviate our collective deficiencies in these areas? You are a Pakistani citizen who clearly has the awareness to know what is wrong. Therefore, we are assuming that you – not being a mere armchair cynic – are obviously taking action – however minor – to help remedy these issues… is that a good assumption?
Asalam-o-Alikum,
You are doing great job, I got your blog today thorugh email and feel so good to know about the current achievments of Pakistan. Keep it up!
Regards, Sohaib.
Thank you, Sohaib.
TechLahore is a primary source of information about local IT industry for me.
Hats off to TechLahore.
Pakistanis – LETS BLOG THE GLOB!
Tech lahore,
I just stumbled upon your webite. Its so good to see a website that is promoting Pakistan’s image on net and is a great source of economic information. I also made an economic wordpress ….primarily to list the economic facts & figures ….. pls check it out. I’ve added you to the website.
Pakistan First!
Regards!
M.R.B
Oh I forgot to mention my website above: http://economicpakistan.wordpress.com/
M.R.B
u are doing a good job…
Its good to go through this blog. I’d add it in my blogroll Evolution – World
AoA,
Just a question, can you tell me how to get sony ebook reader in Lahore. Thanks you.
Umar, I don’t think it is available in Lahore. however, you can certainly order it from Amazon.com. It will be delivered to Pakistan. If you choose this option, I would recommend going with shipping insurance.
Ok, thanks i’ll try that. Will it be delivered at home?
Bookmarked, very informative blog.