ISLAMABAD:
The Punjab authorities has responded to the pressing plea of the Pakistan Software program Homes Affiliation for IT & ITeS (P@SHA) by exempting the IT sector, together with name centres and worldwide IT centres, from the latest smog-related restrictions.
In a transfer to mitigate unintended penalties on varied companies, the Punjab authorities, by way of order NO.SO(G)/P&SHD/4-1/2023, has included paragraph 4(e)(1) to exempt name centres and worldwide IT centres. The order specifies exemptions for companies in closed areas, encompassing a spread of important providers.
The exempted companies embody pharmacies, medical shops, medical services, vaccination centres, petrol pumps, oil depots, tandoors, bakeries, grocery and karyana shops, milk/dairy retailers, candy retailers, vegetable/fruit retailers, rooster/meat retailers, e-commerce/postal/courier providers, and utility providers (electrical energy, pure gasoline, web, mobile networks/telecom, worldwide IT centres, and name centres).
Chairman of P@SHA, Muhammad Zohaib Khan, had urgently appealed to Chief Minister Punjab, Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi, expressing issues over the unintended penalties of the federal government order on the IT sector. Khan emphasised the potential disruption to IT exports, operational halts, and monetary losses.
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He warned that the “restricted motion” within the major hub of IT exports posed a threat of halting operations, resulting in failure in assembly worldwide purchasers’ deadlines, leading to substantial monetary losses and contractual penalties.
Khan additional highlighted the potential harm to Model Pakistan, expressing concern that the interruption in IT providers could tarnish Pakistan’s worldwide picture as a dependable IT service supplier. The P@SHA chairman raised issues about lasting harm to repute and the potential breeding of buyer mistrust. A sudden shutdown may lead purchasers to hunt providers from different international locations, inflicting short-term enterprise losses and doubtlessly lowering international IT investments in the long term.
Interesting to the Punjab authorities, Khan urged a direct addendum to the notification exempting IT exporters, name centres, and associated companies. P@SHA beneficial permitting IT firms to proceed operations beneath strict well being security protocols, aligning with practices throughout the pandemic.
Whereas supporting the federal government’s intent to safeguard public well being, P@SHA underscored {that a} blanket restriction affecting important providers might be counterproductive. The affiliation expressed its dedication to taking obligatory measures to make sure the security of workers and the group.
Khan requested the federal government’s pressing intervention to stop a disaster with potential long-lasting destructive penalties for one among Pakistan’s most vibrant and promising financial sectors.
Revealed in The Categorical Tribune, November 10th, 2023.
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