Aman ki Asha and Collaboration Opportunities

The reciprocal visit of a team of IT CEOs from Pakistan to India after the first visit by few of us to Karachi and Lahore last year, reinforced the feeling that there is much to be gained by a peace initiative that could enable Indian and Pakistani IT firms to collaborate in global markets, provided politics and economics permit. The deliberations on business opportunities during the visit were intense and carried forward the wide-ranging talks that had been held in Pakistan on a potential $2-5 bn collaborative IT opportunity, where some outstanding products developed on both sides could be deployed in key markets abroad. An identification of such opportunities was the first focus area identified. The second was skills development in the area of product architecture and design, where honing the capabilities of aspiring young people on both sides of the border, could result in the creation of a product ecosystem that could finally challenge the best the Western world has to offer.

A beginning had been made when all of us on the Aman ki Asha committee settled down with our computers in front of TV screens in our respective countries to watch the India-Pak World Cup cricket semi-final. The hostilities were gone and as the match progressed, the desire for collaboration and engagement seemed to extend from our cordial email exchanges to the Mohali pitch where the 2 Prime Ministers demonstrated bonhomie during and after the game and the feeling of warmth was shared by players as well as spectators from both sides of the border. The transaction of business is of course the next stage.

The softer side of the Aman ki Asha partnership was evident when the Pakistani ladies during their visit to India, showed their willingness to try everything from dhaba food on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway to singing duets at evening functions. All this and more can be achieved only with the active support of the 2 governments since the stakes are high and, a prolonged period of peace and improving relations would be required for many of the initiatives to get off the ground. More interactions and creation of a blueprint for collaboration could be the next tentative steps. The spirit of Aman ki Asha burns bright and the participants look forward to sustaining the glow!