Partnerships
P@SHA, British Council and EU TVET Programme Hold Gilgit Session on IT Skills
By News Desk ·
Key takeaways
- P@SHA and the British Council organized a session in Gilgit under Team Europe's TVET Sector Support Programme.
- P@SHA Chair Special Initiatives Muhammad Zohaib Khan said Gilgit-Baltistan's digital talent needs reliable high-speed internet to reach global markets.
- P@SHA Chairman Dr Shoab Ahmed Khan said national IT export targets cannot be met within major metropolitan hubs alone.
P@SHA, in partnership with the British Council, held a session in Gilgit under Team Europe's Technical and Vocational Education and Training Sector Support Programme to strengthen industry-academia linkages and address skills gaps, Business Recorder reported on November 6, 2026. The Pakistan Software Houses Association is also working with the Gilgit-Baltistan Software Houses Association on policy advocacy, skills development, export facilitation and employment generation.
P@SHA's Gilgit Session With British Council
Muhammad Zohaib Khan, Chair Special Initiatives of P@SHA, said Gilgit-Baltistan holds untapped digital talent that could add to national IT exports and local job creation. He said reaching that potential depends on reliable, uninterrupted high-speed internet, and that weak digital infrastructure could keep regional youth out of global markets. Khan also called for closer government-academia-industry collaboration to align university and TVET curricula with the demands of the IT export sector.
The session included panel discussions with Khan, KIU Acting Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Abdul Razaq, G-B Secretary IT Zameer Abbas and former P@SHA CEC member Nadia Iqbal. Dr Shoab Ahmed Khan, Chairman of P@SHA, said national IT export targets cannot be met within major metropolitan hubs alone. "Integrating underserved regions like G-B into the national IT mainstream is a strategic priority for P@SHA," he said, adding that the association is working with international partners including the European Union and the British Council so regional graduates hold accredited, in-demand technical competencies that translate into high-value employment.
P@SHA's Member Base and Partnerships
According to akta.pro company records, P@SHA represents more than 1,600 members and counts over 1,800 top tech leaders among those who trust it to represent their companies' interests. The same records state that Pakistan's IT sector employs more than 600,000 people in the organized sector and as freelancers. P@SHA's partnership records list the Pakistan Software Export Board and the National Computing Authority, with skills development work that includes the HEC National Skill Competency Test.
Leadership Changes Before the Gilgit Session
Dr Shoab Ahmed Khan was unanimously elected P@SHA chairman for the 2026-2028 term, Propakistani reported in September 2026, with a focus on technology policies, skills development and positioning Pakistan as an IT investment destination. Earlier that month, TechJuice reported that P@SHA announced results of its Central Executive Committee elections, with 12 members elected for 2026-2028 across seven corporate, three associate and two women seats. In August 2026, TechJuice reported that the Directorate General of Trade Organisations restored Sajjad Mustafa Syed as chairman for the remainder of his 2024-2026 term, declaring an eight-vote no-confidence resolution passed at the association's August 22 CEC meeting null and void.