Pakistan’s Software Export Board: A Legacy Trap in the AI Era

In Pakistan’s noisy tech streets freelancers doing midnight sprints around power cuts, startups scrimping to keep servers alive, founders flying to meet clients because local procurement rarely buys from them. The Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) sits like an institutional fossil.

Founded in the dial up era to “promote Pakistan’s IT industry,” it still evaluates success by trade show booths, registration counts and export leads. Meanwhile the real engines of growth, freelancers, small product startups, accelerators and diasporic networks, have powered the country’s leap into the global digital economy.

The PSEB in its current and recent past has had nothing to offer them besides being a circle jerk of ribbon cuttings and collaboration with local trade bodies and conference organizers to re hash the same “churan of key market indicators” a.k.a. how many young people we have, how many internet users we have, what our true potential is, ironically they have not affected the outcomes of any ones true potential, its happened in spite of the PSEB. Their annual report had the workflow of their websites , redesign. You cant make up this shit, a national level institution whose institutional publication has the following:

This isn’t nostalgia: it’s structural failure. The Board’s export first, promotion heavy model has become a mismatch for an AI century that rewards domestic productization, R&D, data access and platform level adoption. The evidence is public, recent, and damning.

Pakistan’s IT export boom has been powered mostly by private initiative, freelancers and provincial incubators not by the Board. Meanwhile oversight bodies and national strategy reviews have bluntly noted that PSEB is “underfunded and less effective than necessary.”

This is not conjecture, its being covered in print media here, on Oct 9the 2025, A meeting of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) subcommittee on Wednesday reviewed audit objections related to the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB).

Speaking on the occasion, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla said the PSEB was “not performing well”.The PSEB officials said there was a need to appoint technical business development experts in Pakistani embassies abroad.

Mandviwalla maintained that such professionals were needed “in the market, not in embassies”. He further noted that most freelancers were keeping their earnings abroad.

Essentially its the same debate every single time. No fix in sight. But lets step back first.

Origins and evolution: a 1995 idea that never fully pivoted

PSEB was established in 1995 as a government owned, guarantee limited company with a mandate to promote exports, help build software parks, support marketing and attract investment sensible priorities for the mid 1990s IT playbook.

Over the decades the Board accumulated activity metrics it can publish: registered companies, call centre licenses, and lists of international events where Pakistan’s firms received participation subsidies. PSEB Annual Report (2024): registered companies, call centres, trade show participation details.

Those are tidy numbers for a brochure but they are not the same as audited, outcome oriented metrics (jobs created, startups scaled, patents, domestic pilots), which Pakistan needs if it is to compete in AI and platform based industries. The national URAAN plan and related reviews explicitly call for measures that go beyond export booth counting and urge scalable interventions in skills, R&D and domestic adoption. URAAN Pakistan: .

The inconvenient truth: growth happened in spite of the Board

Pakistan’s IT & ITeS exports reached a record $3.8 billion in FY2024–25 an 18% YoY rise that is rightly celebrated. Business Recorder: “Pakistan’s IT exports surge to all-time high of $3.8 billion in FY25” (Jul 18, 2025).

But who powered that rise? Freelancers, platform access, private product firms and incubators played outsized roles. Payoneer data shows Pakistani freelancers earned roughly $396.243 million in export revenue in FY2021–22 a material share of ICT export receipts generated outside the classic export house model. Payoneer: “Top 10 Freelancing Countries” (Payoneer freelancer revenue stat). This is not my data, this data is from a third party.

The official national review (URAAN) and parliamentary oversight both acknowledge the mismatch: public documents and hearings have noted that PSEB’s contribution is limited, and recommended broader institutional reforms focused on building domestic capacity for AI and deep tech.

The Board’s playbook: promotion, subsidies, registration and thin accountability

Open PSEB’s recent annual report and you’ll see glossy pages listing participation in international events, the number of “leads” generated, and the roster of registered IT firms everything you’d expect from an export promotion shop. + They paid for signage and billboards and took pictures of the said promotions and slapped it on their report. Made absolutely no contribution to industry growth, just some questionable marketing with crazy budgets.

But look for audited outcomes , sustained contracts won because of government matchmaking, domestic pilots that matured into exportable products, or measurable uplift in R&D output and the trail grows thin. URAAN and parliamentary reviews call for metrics that tie public spending to systemic outcomes rather than PR friendly tallies.

The Board’s subsidies , paying part of a booth cost at an international fair, or underwriting travel are easy to measure and easy to promote. They do not equate to building domestic cloud infrastructure, providing GPU access for AI teams, matching seed capital for deep tech startups, or reforming the tax and payments systems that freelancers and startups depend on. PSEB Annual Report: trade show subsidies & participation lists.

What peers did differently: ecosystem builders, not just export pushers

Export promotion was once a sensible starting point; the countries that have outpaced Pakistan on value capture moved beyond it.

• Bangladesh combined “Digital Bangladesh” with hi tech parks, e-government and mass skilling a program that explicitly targeted both exports and domestic digital adoption.

• Sri Lanka coordinates through an ICT agency and ties education, policy and market linkages; the ICT sector generated roughly $1.5 billion in foreign exchange in 2022 and employs a large skilled workforce, driven by more than 300 firms.

• Egypt turned ITIDA into an active industry development agency, coupling export promotion with R&D, startup support and CX seat growth Egypt’s digital exports were reported to have surged in recent years as part of a deliberate national push.

• The Philippines and Vietnam have consciously pivoted parts of their BPO/IT industries toward higher value services and domestic digital adoption, adding AI training, PPPs and cloud infrastructure programs to the classic export playbook.

The pattern is clear: agencies that now succeed in AI and advanced digital services are ecosystem builders they fund R&D, anchor domestic demand (procurement set asides), provide infra credits, and build clear talent pipelines.

Why the export only mindset fails in an AI era

  1. AI depends on domestic data, pilots and cloud/GPU access. Export booths and registration drives do not create anonymized government datasets, sandboxed procurement pilots, or national GPU pools, all of which fast track product innovation. (See URAAN’s emphasis on infrastructure and data as part of digital transformation.)
  2. Productization needs risk capital and matched public support. Seed grants, public co investment funds, R&D tax credits, and procurement channels that reward local suppliers are what scale product startups to Series A , not trade fair subsidies. URAAN and multiple industry voices recommend conditional public co investment and procurement reforms.
  3. Talent numbers alone don’t equal AI readiness. Graduates and coders are not the same as data engineers, MLOps practitioners, and model governance experts. National strategy documents and industry studies highlight a gap between graduate output and AI specific skills. Training at the Governor house in Sindh is not going to create dollarized leverage at scale. It does not work this way.
  4. Financial and regulatory plumbing matters. Freelancers routinely keep earnings abroad because payment rails, FX rules and tax complexity push them offshore that erodes formal revenues and prevents earnings from knitting into a domestic growth story. Nothing has been done for the last 2 years by policy makers. All changes come because of change it self.

The human story: talent flight and daily friction

Policy failures are personal. Engineers and founders live the consequence: missed payments, scrambling for foreign contracts, and a persistent sense that the state’s “support” means a camera friendly booth at an overseas show rather than contracts, infrastructure or capital.

PERSONAL ANECDOTE

This past summer, I reached out to senior leadership at the PSEB, offering to conduct free, on the ground sessions for gaming companies and studios, sharing proven ad tech industry monetization strategies. Essentially to give back and get registered members finally get some value. There was no commercial angle tied to this, I was going to be visiting, wanted to use their platform to share, amplify and help people make money, this was a forum as good as any.

Email 1: No response.

Email 2: Silence.

Email 3: More silence.

Why does this matter? Imagine an investor facing the same void of response. To be fair, through a mutual contact in a WhatsApp group, I did get rapid engagement and an in person meeting with a colleague in real time, but only because it tied to a high profile event in the U.S. with diaspora involvement. Yet, post event? Zero follow through, despite my persistent follow ups across the organization, from top to bottom, via email. The disconnect is stark: plenty of enthusiasm for optics, but no tangible outcomes. I have zero desire for public speaking and this article is not directed towards any individuals just on the incentives and structure of the org that is pissing away the publics money.

There is a reason Gen Z doesn’t want to live or work or engage with Babus. They are happy with encashing the free lancer or remote worker lifestyle in USD. Babus make deck for other Babus, that even they don’t proof read. I wish, the PM who is touted by so many as genuinely wanting to hit 15bn$ in IT exports entrusts the right people to setup the program and policy around getting this done.

A focused reform agenda: replace brochure metrics with ecosystem KPIs

If Pakistan is serious about converting this export windfall into lasting tech capability, it needs a targeted reform program. Below are concrete, evidence based steps drawn from URAAN recommendations and international best practice:

  1. Create a Technology & Innovation Council with a clear mandate.
    Replace PSEB’s export booth model with an agency focused on R&D grants, AI infrastructure (cloud/GPU credits), procurement set asides for local suppliers and coordination across universities, industry and provinces.
  2. Measure the right outcomes.
    Move from “companies registered” and “leads generated” to audited KPIs: startups funded to Series A, public procurement contracts awarded to local vendors, patents filed, domestic pilots launched, and MLOps/AIOps jobs created.
  3. Make incentives product friendly.
    Lower rigid export thresholds (e.g., reduce a 100% export requirement so firms can sell domestically without losing incentives), implement R&D tax credits, and set up a conditional public co investment fund to de risk early VC rounds.
  4. Fix payment rails for freelancers and SMEs.
    Establish a streamlined freelancer onboarding and payment mechanism (simplified tax withholding, easy FX conversions and a trusted payment intermediary) to encourage on shore banking of foreign income this brings revenue into the formal economy and increases tax receipts.
  5. Invest in AI infrastructure & skills at scale.
    Create national GPU pools, provide cloud credits for startups, fund anonymized public datasets and expand MLOps and data engineering training tied to industry needs.
  6. Embed genuine market expertise in diplomatic missions.
    If embassy based experts are used, make them accountable to deliver deals and partnerships (measured by contracting outcomes), not just attend trade fairs. PAC debate in Islamabad raised the embassy expert idea implement it properly or drop it.
  7. Sunset or repurpose PSEB if it cannot deliver.
    Institutions require mandate, budget and capacity. If PSEB cannot shift from a promotion office to an ecosystem builder within a set timeframe, repurpose its staff and budget into a new statutory body with a results based contract. Also look at the tools, budgets and resources under the IT Ministry, stop hiring more people to fix things that need re architecting because an other babu said so.

Hard choices, measurable returns

Transformation implies political difficulty: procurement insiders will resist set asides, fiscal ministries will squint at R&D tax credits, and trade ministries will miss an easy photo opportunity. But the alternative is worse: a brittle export model that looks good in brochures but fails to anchor high value companies, keep talent at home, or build sovereign AI capacity.

Pakistan’s current export surge , $3.8bn in FY24–25 , is a moment of leverage, not a justification for complacency. Use that leverage to build AI capacity, domestic demand, and financing instruments that turn talent into products and public value.

Final twist: appoint an Ambassador at Large for Digital Growth & Transformation

If PSEB is a fossil, then what Pakistan’s IT and tech talent urgently needs is not another brochure or another conference subsidy it needs a single, empowered, champion who can speak at the highest commercial and diplomatic tables and actually get deals done. But first some one who is not sending whats app messages for intros to folks in the valley or asking for email addresses of counterparts. We play the low influence game and get treated like entry level influencers.

Think of this role as a fusion: the external diplomatic and investment pull authority of an Ambassador at Large like Ali Jehangir Siddiqui (who served as Pakistan’s Ambassador at Large for Foreign Investment) combined with the mission level advisory model we’ve just seen used for emerging tech areas (the recent appointment of a Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on blockchain and crypto is an example of that rapid, targeted mode of engagement).

But this is not about creating another three headed ego machine or an extra layer of ceremonial power. It is a pragmatic device: a Special Representative for Digital Growth & Transformation (title flexible SAPM, Ambassador at Large, or Special Envoy but outcomes not flexible:-) , with a 3 year, results bound mandate from the Prime Minister. Housed administratively wherever makes programmatic sense (PM’s Secretariat for political clout; Foreign Office as Ambassador at Large for global access; or as a ring fenced directorate inside a reformed technology council), net net where ever they can do work without babus dislodging them, the post must have:

• Clear authorities: convening power across ministries, delegated procurement set aside authority for pilot projects, the ability to negotiate commercial partnerships and MOUs at ministerial level, and a modest, ring fenced budget for R&D co investment and infrastructure credits.
• Mandate and KPIs: measurable goals such as number of domestic AI pilots launched , GPU/cloud credits deployed to startups, percentage of freelancer earnings on shored, startups reaching Series A, and exports from productized services (not just services hours).
• Accountability: a quarterly public dashboard and a three year external review clause that can repurpose the seat if it fails to deliver. But before this a a 100 day period to frame the task, this is no easy task. This needs to be framed well.
• A diplomatic, commercial brief: the person must be able to open doors with multinationals, sovereign funds, and global platforms and sign commercial pilot agreements not merely pose for trade fair photographs. Bilal Bin Saqib’s recent appointment as Special Assistant on blockchain illustrates Pakistan’s new willingness to name targeted advisors to engage global stakeholders rapidly; an analogous, product focused envoy for digital growth would task these same channels toward AI, cloud, data and startup scale.

My special request to the Prime Minister is simple and modestly urgent: look both inside and outside government, identify one credible, proven leader and put the full weight of the office behind this project . That backing must mean authority to cut across ministries, a small operating budget, and a public mandate with quantified outcomes. This is not symbolic theatre; it is the single most levered institutional change that could convert Pakistan’s current export momentum into a sustained, product driven digital economy especially in the current positive geo political tide and its role as a global player.

We are late, perhaps twenty years late to some institutional shifts, but we do not lack the advantage of leapfrogging. Just as nations skipped landlines and moved straight to mobile, Pakistan can leap into an AI native approach: data pilots, cloud credits, local procurement that seeds scale, and a trusted, high level interlocutor who can sell that story to the world.

Do this, and the difference between PSEB’s brochure metrics and real national digital capability will become visible in exports, jobs, security and sovereign capacity not just in ribbon cutting photos.

If the government wants a starter blueprint, make the post 3 years, fund it for three tangible pilots (public sector AI use/access, a national GPU pool, and a freelancer on ramp), publish quarterly KPIs, and commit to an independent audit at the 30 month mark. If it works, roll it into the Technology & Innovation Council; if it fails, close it and move on. Either way, give Pakistan’s tech talent a serious, accountable advocate at a level the market respects not another brochure builder.

We are done with watching the same 100 episode serial, only to be remade with a new cast every few years. We need to transition to reels and shorts no more long form dramas! IYKYK

The Unfair Crusade Against Pakistan’s Freelancers: Why Taxing Remote Workers Threatens a Thriving Digital Economy

In Pakistan’s booming IT sector, a troubling narrative has emerged: large outsourcing firms, while channeling profits through tax-optimized foreign subsidiaries, are pushing to dismantle the tax incentives that empower the country’s freelancers. These companies argue that their locally taxed employees face an unfair burden compared to freelancers, who benefit from a 0.25-1% tax rate on offshore income. Yet, this stance ignores the stark reality of freelancing a self-reliant, high-risk endeavor that drives Pakistan’s digital economy without the safety nets or state support enjoyed by corporate players. Freelancers, often mislabeled as mere remote workers, operate without job security, health insurance, or government-backed protections, funding their own infrastructure and navigating volatile global markets to secure contracts. With Pakistan’s freelance workforce ranking among the world’s largest, contributing $400 million in foreign exchange in just nine months of FY25, their low tax rate is a lifeline, not a loophole. Imagine a scenario in a country like ours with an immense youth bulge where you decide to make the economic prospects even worse. In a country where most of these free lancers are self taught, what are the other economic pathways for them to monetize their skills, passion and ability to scale. At Saith owned tech firms and sweat shops masquerading as a panacea for tech employment? Our focus should be to create independent young people with the ability to be entrepreneurs vs pushing them in the mold of inflexible pay and time commitment working for soon-to-be-left behind body shops and mostly tech-integrators, vs self navigating the fortunes in emerging tech like AI and ML.

This post aims to highlight the industry’s shortsighted push to tax freelancers at standard rates (5-35%), exposing how it threatens innovation, stifles economic growth, and undermines the very ecosystem that makes Pakistan a global IT contender. These companies forget, that they can pay a “fairer wage” and fix the alleged discrepancy vs maximizing their own profits. Most have not innovated their business models and becoming non-competitive in a world moving towards AI. This is their final cry for protectionism and subsidies much like the textile barons of an era gone by.

The Tax Disparity: Freelancers vs. Corporate Employees

Pakistan’s IT sector has seen remarkable growth, with IT exports reaching $3 billion in FY21-22, driven by both corporate firms and freelancers [1]. Freelancers exporting IT and IT-enabled services benefit from a final tax rate of 0.25% (for those registered with the Pakistan Software Export Board, PSEB) or 1% (for non-PSEB freelancers) under Section 154 of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, provided at least 80% of their earnings are remitted through banking channels [2]. This incentive, valid until June 30, 2026, encourages foreign exchange inflows and formalizes income through simplified tax filing processes [3]. In contrast, locally employed software developers for companies that exclusively export IT Services, typically salaried employees in corporate IT firms are taxed under standard income tax slabs ranging from 0% to 35%, depending on income.

Large outsourcing firms, through industry associations , argue that this tax gap disadvantages their employees, who face higher effective tax rates compared to freelancers earning similar incomes [5]. They claim freelancers, often misclassified as “remote workers,” exploit these exemptions, undermining corporate competitiveness. However, this argument overlooks critical differences in the operational realities of freelancers versus corporate employees, as well as the tax-optimization strategies employed by these firms themselves.

Broad Sources based on on online bread crumbs. If I missed some thing don’t come at me:)

  1. Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), IT Export Data.
  2. Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, Section 154.
  3. FBR Clarifies News Item Captioned “IT Industry Abandoned in the Budget 2022-23
  4. FBR Income Tax Slabs, Tax Year 2025-26.
  5. P@SHA Press Release, “Tax Disparity Concerns,”

Freelancers: The Unsung Heroes of Pakistan’s Digital Economy

Pakistan boasts the world’s fifth-largest freelance workforce, with 2.37 million freelancers contributing approximately $400 million in foreign exchange in the first nine months of FY25 [6]. These individuals operate on global platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, etc offering services such as software development, graphic design, and digital marketing, ML/AI services and many more emerging technologies. Unlike corporate employees, freelancers are entirely self-reliant, facing unique challenges that justify their tax incentives:

No State Support: Freelancers receive minimal government assistance. They must independently secure clients, often competing with global talent on price and quality. Unlike corporate firms, which benefit from state-backed Special Technology Zones (STZs) offering tax holidays and infrastructure support, freelancers rely on personal resources [7].

Self-Funded Infrastructure: Freelancers bear all costs for equipment, high-speed internet, software licenses, and workspaces. For example, a reliable internet connection in Pakistan can cost PKR 2,500-5,000 monthly, a significant expense for individuals [8].

Platform Fees and Financial Risks: Freelancers pay platform fees of 10-20% on earnings, reducing their net income before taxes [9]. They also face payment disputes, client defaults, and currency fluctuation risks without institutional backing. They also face a broken last mile in banking to get their funds back home paying any where from 10 to 30% in managing those complexities and then dealing with local banks and tax man to justify what they do is Tech enabled.

No Job Security or Benefits: Unlike corporate employees, freelancers lack job security, health insurance, paid leave, or pension plans. They must self-fund any safety nets, making their low tax rate critical to financial viability.

Global Market Pressures: Freelancers compete in a hyper-competitive global market, where Pakistan’s low cost of living is a key advantage. Higher taxes would erode this edge, pushing clients to cheaper markets like Bangladesh or India [10]. Plus they self train, they learn new technologies and offer innovative services and skills in a global market place where it is sought after.

The Pakistan Freelancers Association (PAFLA) estimates that doubling the freelance workforce could generate over $1 billion annually in remittances, a goal achievable only with continued tax incentives . Taxing freelancers at standard rates (5-35%) would reduce their competitiveness, discourage remittances, and risk pushing earnings into the informal economy, undermining Pakistan’s economic documentation efforts.

Sources: 6. Oxford Internet Institute, Online Labour Index. 7. Special Technology Zones Authority (STZA), Incentives Framework, 2023. 8. Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), Broadband Pricing Report, 2024. 9. Upwork Fee Structure, 2025. 10. World Bank, Global Freelancing Trends, 2024.

The Hypocrisy of Large Outsourcing Firms

While large outsourcing firms decry the tax disparity, many operate fully owned foreign subsidiaries in the U.S., U.K., UAE, and other regions to optimize their tax obligations. These subsidiaries bill international clients, retaining significant revenue offshore to fund operations, marketing, or reinvestment, thereby minimizing exposure to Pakistan’s 21-29% corporate tax rates . Pakistan’s Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) regulations under Section 109A aim to tax non-active income from such entities, but enforcement remains weak, with an estimated $350 billion in untaxed offshore wealth linked to Pakistani entities(based on pandora papers and not just for the IT Sector alone). These firms repatriate only enough income to qualify for the 0.25-1% export tax rate, mirroring the freelancer incentives they criticize. Some even pay their own employees as freelancers and have been doing so since the inception of the tax benefits.

This practice highlights a double standard: corporate firms leverage offshore structures to reduce tax liabilities, yet advocate for taxing freelancers at higher rates to “level the playing field.” Such a stance is not only inconsistent but also ignores the broader contributions of freelancers to Pakistan’s economy. For instance, freelancers’ remittances bolster foreign exchange reserves, Corporate firms, by contrast, often retain profits abroad, contributing less to immediate reserve growth. They also make investments in other tech businesses that create operating subsidiaries outside of Pakistan where they hire employees directly competing with Pakistani talent.

Moreover, some of these firms engage in practices that undermine their moral high ground:

Wage Exploitation: They pay Pakistani employees significantly less than the international rates charged to clients, pocketing large margins. Thus fear their employees will leave for better prospects. They make this about wage parity vs corporate greed.

Lobbying for Exclusive Incentives: Large firms secure tax exemptions through STZs and other government programs, benefits rarely extended to freelancers or smaller firms.

Misclassification of Workers: Some firms mislabel employees as freelancers to evade payroll taxes, exploiting the same tax incentives they criticize for years the industry bodies know about it, but have you ever seen a press release decrying that or asking their members to not follow the practice?

Why Taxing Freelancers Is a Losing Proposition

Increasing freelancers’ taxes to match corporate employees’ rates (5-35%) would have severe consequences for Pakistan’s economy and IT sector:

  1. Reduced Competitiveness: Higher taxes would erode freelancers’ price advantage, pushing clients to cheaper markets. Bangladesh, for example, offers tax holidays for freelancers, attracting global clients.
  2. Brain Drain: Skilled freelancers may relocate to countries with favorable tax regimes, exacerbating Pakistan’s brain drain, with 20,000 IT professionals leaving annually.
  3. Informal Economy Growth: Higher taxes could drive freelancers to retain earnings in offshore accounts or operate informally, reducing transparency and tax revenue.
  4. Stifled Innovation: Freelancers drive innovation through agile, specialized services. Taxing them heavily would discourage new entrants, limiting the sector’s growth potential. Also killing prospects for the youth in this country.
  5. Economic Impact: Freelancers’ $400 million in remittances supports Pakistan’s balance of payments. Higher taxes could halve these inflows, straining reserves.

Instead of taxing freelancers, the government should focus on:

  • Strengthening CFC enforcement to ensure corporate firms repatriate more income.
  • Streamlining corporate tax processes to reduce compliance costs.
  • Expanding STZ-like incentives to include freelancers and small firms.
  • Investing in digital infrastructure to support freelancers’ global competitiveness.
  • Discuss domestic Wage Parity

Pakistan’s freelancers are the backbone of its digital economy, driving innovation, remittances, and global competitiveness without state support or corporate safety nets. Large outsourcing firms, while benefiting from tax-optimized foreign subsidiaries, unfairly target freelancers’ low tax rates, ignoring their own tax-avoidance practices. Increasing freelancers’ taxes would stifle a thriving sector, push talent abroad, and undermine Pakistan’s economic goals. The government must reject this shortsighted industry push and instead foster collaboration between freelancers and firms, ensuring a balanced, inclusive IT ecosystem that propels Pakistan onto the global stage.

THE BUILDER-GENERAL: A NATION’S LAST, DIGITAL STAND

Once upon a time…

Pakistan stood at a fork in the road where its growing youth, restless digital entrepreneurs, and globally dispersed talent saw glimpses of a future more connected, more efficient, and more fair. But the systems around them were still drowning in paper trails, power outages, and policies built for another century.

Every day…

Citizens navigated endless bureaucracy for land titles. Freelancers fought global payment blockades. Schools’ taught yesterday’s tools while tomorrow’s jobs demanded quantum leaps. Ministries, despite goodwill, operated in silos each with its own digitization agenda but no unifying compass. Until now.

Then one day…

The Digital Nation Pakistan Act, 2025 passed. It wasn’t a whitepaper it was a legal startup charter. It created three things Pakistan never had before:

A Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) with real teeth, not token budgets.

A National Digital Commission, chaired by the Prime Minister, making it everyone’s mandate.

A legally binding Digital Masterplan, forcing every ministry, province, and regulator to sync with one mission: make Pakistan digital-first.

Because of that…

We now have a law that goes beyond tech. It rewires the entire operating system of governance. It mandates:

A Data Exchange Layer (Sec 2(e)) so ministries stop hoarding data and start interoperating.

Federated identity systems, open APIs, and citizen-centric digital journeys (Sec 2(g)).

A Digital Nation Fund (Sec 13) that can generate revenue not just from grants, but from taxes on API calls, digital assets, and service layers.

The legal right for the Authority to override conflicting legacy laws (Sec 28) and the power to demand real-time collaboration from ministries and provinces (Sec 12).

But even great architecture doesn’t build the cathedral.

Pakistan’s Digital Nation Act, 2025 might just be its defining moment.

It’s not a whitepaper. It’s a legal product spec. A blueprint to rebuild the country’s governance stack with digital-first logic and not just with APIs and dashboards, but with something more powerful: You ask what? Read below…..

Model-Context Protocols (MCPs): AI-native infrastructure that allows systems to interact, understand, and learn in real time.

This is Pakistan’s chance to build a government that not only works but thinks.

THE BLUEPRINT IS HERE. SO WHO BUILDS IT?

The Digital Nation Act establishes:

A Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) with real execution powers (Sec 6–8).

A National Digital Commission, chaired by the Prime Minister (Sec 3–5), enforcing alignment from provinces to regulators.

A binding, annually updated Digital Masterplan (Sec 11), defining the nation’s digital priorities across all sectors.

But policy is only the scaffolding. Now comes the build.

DPI: THE FOUNDATION FOR AN AI-NATIVE STATE

Digital Public Infrastructure (Sec 2(m)) is the backbone of a digital nation. It includes:

Digital identity

Data exchange systems

Secure digital payments

Open, interoperable cloud services

But DPI today must be more than wires and ledgers. It must be cognitively extensible, able to support intelligent agents, autonomous workflows, and citizen-facing LLMs.

This is where MCPs are essential. Planning digital infrastructure isn’t about building roads it’s about securing the corridor. Imagine you need to connect Karachi to Peshawar. A short-sighted approach builds a 2-lane highway on the cheapest available land. It works today, but when traffic triples, you’re trapped: factories and homes now flank both sides. Widening it means bulldozing communities at 100x the cost.

The builder’s way? Secure the 8-lane corridor now pour asphalt for only 2 lanes today. You pay marginally more upfront for land acquisition, but preserve shoulders for future expansion. When growth comes, you add lanes overnight no demolition, no delays. That corridor reservation is your plan against obsolescence.

Pakistan’s digital highway’s identity systems, data exchanges, payment rails demand this discipline. Build MVP (2 lanes) but engineer MCP (8-lane rights-of-way). Don’t let short-term savings create long-term traps. We have done this many times over with financial inclusion mandates and other short sighted initiatives, led by the very people who know nothing about it, bankers, or ex bankers whose own banks could not do it, but in retirement we hire them to do this for the nation. The irony should not be lost on us as we build PDA leadership.

WHY MCPs CHANGE THE GAME

For years, governments relied on APIs to connect databases and services. But Pakistan can leapfrog to MCPs frameworks that don’t just connect systems, but allow them to exchange structured context. Think of how we moved from land lines to cell phones and the dividends it continues to pay. Do it right, vs doing it twice.

That means:

Land registries that speak to identity systems intelligently.

Financial aid systems that adapt to user history.

Health services that tailor responses based on citizen interaction, not form fields.

MCPs are how AI-ready governments will operate. The Digital Nation Act enables this through its emphasis on secure, interoperable data layers (Sec 2(e)), national infrastructure, and governance standards.

WHO SHOULD LEAD THIS?

You don’t need a multilateral consultant. You need a wartime CEO. Not someone to prance in Islamabad and tell people what they are doing, ideally never be seen talking about the work but instead executing.

A founder-operator fluent in building digital products and public trust equally adept at managing complex systems and shaping narratives in real time. Someone who understands that national sovereignty today means owning not just infrastructure, but the story. This is a leader who has built in the age of digital distribution, where platforms move goods, capital, ideas, and sentiment at scale. Whether it’s logistics networks routing in milliseconds, SaaS systems standardizing workflows across borders, or media platforms reaching millions with a single push the pattern is the same: velocity, trust, and control. Pakistan’s digital future will require nothing less. These needs understanding the country and its assets to be the foundational layer in building a National Information Infrastructure. Understanding context is key, that doesn’t happen by being a conference attendee or a twitter panelist in a nation’s transformation journeys or those who have relied on consultants at scale.

Built under scarcity, not excess. Anyone with b$ funds can build, but can you build in scarcity and lead to abundance?

Understands how to make a university like NUST compete with IIT not on brand, but on output. Also not believe the rhetoric that. We have 10k CS grads a year, we have under a 100 that can compete regionally and 10 globally. Come with solutions to change this.

Fluent in crypto, governance, and education as national assets but humble enough to partner with and draw the counsel of the new crypto SAPM. Embed your Crypto Czar in the Oversight Committee (Sec 9). Their role? Negotiate as equals not supplicants

Code-literate, scar-hardened, and fast enough to deliver v1.0 not ask Mckinsey to build performative decks.

Can prompt LLMs like Tiger Woods used to play golf on his day off.

Operational stamina to execute 18-hour days, credibility to command respect from generals and Gen-Z coders. No more uncles with ill fitting jeans with white shoes and turtleneck tents, who cant walk 2 flights of stairs without crowds cheering them on. Have your fill of Nihari but to represent Pakistan we need some one who is committed to their health and the nations. We don’t need an ozempic level shortcut to our challenges, we need real commitment to build fit for use purpose outcomes.

This isn’t an advisory role. This is a Builder General job. Also, if you want to hire favorite’s and has been’s you are doing the act a dis service. Don’t hire for what you see but hire for someone who can do. Also note, if you pay peanuts, you will hire monkeys.

THE MASTERPLAN: 5 PILLARS FOR HYBRID REALITY- The Real Non Kinetic Force

  1. National Information Infrastructure (NII):
    • What: Federated data exchange layer (Sec 2(e)) + edge-computing nodes on military-secured critical sites (power grids, highways).
    • Why: Avoids “cloud colonialism.” Data sovereignty meets low-latency rural access.
    • Military synergy: Leverage strategic assets (fiber networks, secure facilities) as NII anchors positioned as “guardians of national digital sovereignty.”
  2. Talent Factories:
    • Transform NUST into Pakistan’s IIT 3.0: Not just curricula but mandate 50% faculty from industry (ex-FAANG, ex-Silicon Valley founders). Embed crypto/Web3 labs funded by blockchain taxes.
    • Military linkage: Veterans with cyber ops experience → retrained as DPI architects.
  3. 30-60-90 Day War Plan
    • Day 0–30: Build the Digital Spine
      • Connect energy + data layers using military-grade fiber networks (Sec 17).
      • Establish secure data exchange protocols via MCPs.
      • Identify five high-impact citizen interactions to convert into digital workflows.
      • Recruit technical leads from Pakistan’s tech diaspora and FAANG Alumni.
    • Day 31–60: Deploy Foundational Digital Journeys
      • Launch 3 end-to-end, citizen-facing journeys (Sec 2(g)) using MCP logic:
      • Land ownership verification (identity + property context)
      • Telehealth scheduling + triage
      • SME e-loan approvals (FBR + bank integration +situationally aware)
      • Each of these should be context-aware, multilingual, and mobile-native.
    • Day 61–90: Talent Infrastructure Mobilization
      • Redesign NUST as a National Digital Product Studio.
      • 50% of faculty from industry.
      • Build labs focused on AI, cryptography, public systems.
      • Retrain veterans in cybersecurity and signals into DPI engineers.
      • Begin bilateral co-builds with Stripe, OpenAI, and others only with shared IP and local hiring mandates.
  4. DIPLOMACY BEYOND SALES OFFICES
    • Pakistan must resist the temptation to become a passive consumer of foreign tech.Instead, it must become:
      • A co-trainer of models: e.g., OpenAI fine-tuning Urdu LLMs inside NUST with shared weights + sovereign data access. Any one hoarding public domain information digitally must make it public for national interest for Sovereign LLM Models. A lab for AI governance: embedding policy layers directly into MCPs, creating templates others can adopt.A developer of its own MCP stack: that other countries can adopt or license, transforming Pakistan into a DPI exporter.
    The Digital Nation Act enables this (Sec 20). The only thing missing is intentional tech diplomacy not for deals, but for design partnerships. An ambassador at large but for Tech. Not an other TDAP or PSEB who invite other Pakistanis to sign MOUs but do not respond to emails from real constituents who want to build, scale and invest, we also do not need an other BOI for tech, we need a universal representative for Pakistans Tech Ecosystem. The current bodies and models have all failed, if you think otherwise, this will fail also even with the best intent in mind. Talk to the real stake holders not that spend government money on foreign trips to show Islamabad that the PMs 15-20bn$ Tech export target has legs, it doesn’t even have the body for those legs to walk on yet.
  5. Abundance Engine:
    • From “consultant dependency” to founder-led execution: Hire Authority leaders (Sec 7) from Pakistan’s own mix from any where on the planet.
    • Why founders > policymakers: A digital native who scaled startups knows how to digitize FBR faster than a 30-year IMF veteran.

Designing for Sovereign Governance without having to explain ourselves

The Act allows for:

Assignment of secure infrastructure (Sec 17)

Inter-agency expertise transfers (Sec 18)

Requests for coordination from strategic actors (Sec 19)

Translation: Military-run infrastructure can power secure cloud. Signals veterans can code mission-critical systems. This doesn’t need a press release. Just results.

WHY PAKISTAN NEEDS A “BUILDER-GENERAL” TO LEAD THIS

This isn’t a job for a Geneva-trained policy expert or a Davos-panelist. It’s a mission that demands:

Someone who’s scaled products in high-constraint environments: B2C at scale, B2B SaaS, and enterprise integrations.

A person who understands education as infrastructure: not just transforming NUST, but turning it into an AI production stack.

A crypto-literate pragmatist: who knows how to tokenize, govern, and integrate digital assets into public systems securely and seek help where they aren’t an expert, this is a role in humility with candor not a know-it-all role.

A founder-operator scarred by failure, sharpened by scarcity, obsessed with shipping.

This isn’t about ‘relating to youth.’ It’s about harnessing two asymmetric assets: military’s strategic rigor + tech talent’s disruptive velocity. Fail to fuse them? Pakistan gets digitized by foreign platforms, not sovereign code.

This is not “reform.” It’s a rebuild

PAPER DOESN’T WRITE CODE

The Digital Nation Act is world-class.

But like all great product frameworks, it will only succeed if someone builds version 1.0 fast on real infrastructure, for real citizens, with measurable gains.

This isn’t about Estonia envy. It’s about Pakistan setting the global standard for what a digitally sovereign, AI-native nation can be.

THE 90-DAY PROVING GROUND: SOVEREIGNTY VS. SUBVERSION

The next 90 days will reveal whether Pakistan’s digital rebirth is led by its people or auctioned to outsiders. We’ve waited decades for this moment; about a week has passed since news surfaced about the government setting up a committee to hire PDA leadership. If the government cannot install a proven builder within 30 days, brace for a familiar tragedy: a ‘global search’ orchestrated by foreign consultants. They’ll draft RFPs with impossibly narrow criteria, run ‘competitive’ bids for 12 months, and ultimately embed their pre-chosen candidate a loyal agent of donor interests, not Pakistani ambition. They may have already done some of the work.

We’ve seen this script in resource-rich African states and fractured democracies.

This isn’t incompetence. It’s institutional capture. The delay itself is the weapon starving momentum until desperate governments outsource sovereignty. Pakistan’s Act is too visionary to be suffocated in committee rooms by those who’ve never shipped a product in load-shedding.

The Non-Negotiables:

  • Appoint the PDA Chairperson in 30 days (Sec 7) from Pakistan’s own global builder cohort not Geneva’s consultant aristocracy.
  • Reject ‘global talent searches’ that mask pre-baked appointments. Scarcity breeds ingenuity; abundance breeds dependency.
  • Let the Oversight Committee (Sec 9) audit appointments not donor-funded ‘advisors’ with conflicts of interest.

If we miss this window, we don’t get a second chance. We get a digital colony. Let us no longer negotiate our future with those who have no interest in its success.

Let’s not waste the last, best stand.

Pakistan Zindabad!

The Tragedy of TRG A Story of Vision, Decline and the Cost to Pakistan’s Tech Future

Looking at the current news, it is with a heavy heart that I reflect on what seems to be the unraveling of one of Pakistan’s most ambitious technology ventures, The Resource Group (TRG).

📈 5-Year High & Present Low

All-time high: PKR 186.49 on April 25, 2021

Current price: PKR 56.68 as of June 20, 2025 — a ~70% drop from the peak

As someone who joined early at SATMAP (now Afiniti), built the first engineering teams from scratch, and later helped scale TRG portfolio companies including DGS (which listed on the LSE:AIM) and played a role in the early incubation of the idea/experiment  at DGS of what would become the $600M e-TeleQuote exit. This decline is more than professional disillusionment.

At its height, TRGs key asset Afiniti was a $6 billion (perhaps more) jewel in a constellation of companies, many of which were seeded, staffed, and scaled from Pakistan. With over 6,000 employees in the country and several thousand more across a dozen or more global operating entities, TRG was one of the few truly international firms built from the Global South, anchored in the discipline of private equity and powered by the ingenuity of local talent. It was, in many ways, the country’s most successful soft-power tech export.

And yet, today, that legacy is like witnessing a liquidation sale, not in a market crash, but in slow motion: through boardroom reshuffles, asset divestitures, and courtroom drama, based on the publicly reported news.

The ousting of TRG’s founder, while presented as a governance necessity, triggered a chain of events that seemingly appear strategically reckless, if not economically ruinous. Afiniti once its AI-first flagship when AI was still academic curiosity has been gutted. IBEX, a top-performing Nasdaq-listed BPO built under the TRG umbrella, has seen large insider divestitures. From the outside the confidence seems to be shaking, with it, the earliest Pakistani Tech Dream.

But perhaps most jarring is the treatment of the affiliate companie’s, Pakistani workforce, the very foundation on which this empire was built. Lenders-turned-owners have reportedly/allegedly reduced employee headcount from the ecosystem that enabled TRG’s meteoric rise. It feels less like strategic restructuring as (some units are now lender led) and more like a dispassionate carve-out, where neither history nor human cost seem to matter.

Between 2003 and its peak, an original PKR 10 share catalyzed a multi-billion-dollar enterprise. This growth wasn’t theoretical it manifested in USD-denominated salaries in Karachi and Lahore, upward mobility for thousands of middle-class professionals, and the creation of a deep, scalable talent pool in AI, BPO, and digital marketing. TRG was arguably the first Pakistani employer to internationalize talent at real volume and velocity.

I was fortunate to hire hundreds of engineers, marketers, analysts, and operators over two tours across two TRG entities. We built DGS from a handful of people to over 1,000 in Pakistan alone, pioneering PPC and lead-gen capabilities long before the regional market even knew what those acronyms meant. We dreamed in data. We scaled in grit. And most importantly, we delivered. It was not easy, it never is, but there was a pride in doing things never done before at scale.

Now, all of that is at risk not because of market forces, but due to strategic myopia and a loss of institutional memory. This was no startup flameout; it was a mature operation with demonstrated outcomes. Its dismantling is less a business cycle than a case study in how misaligned ambition and short-termism can dismantle even the most promising platforms. It truly is a Platform.

Let’s be clear: great founders build great companies. Hired guns/PE Firms, no matter how credentialed, seldom understand the alchemy of mission, culture, and endurance. What we are witnessing is a textbook failure of that understanding, economic operators acting with surgical disinterest in the very communities that created the value they now seek to extract. You could argue, I do not know the details and I most certainly don’t, but I can still reflect on what is visible in media.

And yet, all may not be lost. There remains an opportunity albeit shrinking to preserve what remains, reorient toward long-term value creation, and ensure that the dreams TRG made real for thousands are not extinguished.

To the shareholders, employees, alumni, and believers my heart is with you. We built something rare. Let’s hope it’s not the last chapter, but merely the end of a miswritten one. I have no horse in the race just some reflections based on the news in popular media and some time to reflect.

Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this post are my own, based on publicly available information and personal professional experiences. This commentary is not intended to defame, accuse, or harm any individual or entity, but rather to reflect on broader organizational outcomes and their socioeconomic impact. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and form independent conclusions. This post does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice.

TL;DR

The Lost Decade Revisited

The Spark: May 2012

A single call—disregarding the long-drawn-out prior conversations—changed everything. A founder friend(Jeff) from my TRG-Satmap days shared that the time had come to scale on an idea he was building out. Lead generation at scale. The second coming of the digital gold rush, that’s what it felt like when he described it to me.

The Model: Digital Gold Rush, Reimagined

Here’s how it worked:

People hunt for things online. “Cheap internet in Boston.” “Fastest fiber in Miami.” “AT&T triple-play bundles.” Keywords. Gritty little breadcrumbs.

Our job? Build licensed landing pages—digital kiosks—to connect those hungry searchers with the vendors feeding them. By getting paid ads to redirect to those landing pages.

Think of it like this:

The mall, 2012. Telco kiosks. Lines of antsy customers comparing prices, bundles, install dates. Back then, it cost providers $90–140 to bag one customer there.

Now flip it digital.

Buy keywords for $0.50 to $5. Send the lead to a provider for 40$ .If they bite? Ka−ching. A$20–$40 bounty. The provider saves $50 per sale. No mall hours. Intent driven sales, no cold calling all inbound leads with users ready to buy with intent.  Just a 24/7 money machine. This is the first time I learnt what 24/7 conversion engines feel like and how you make money whilst sleeping. A revelation and an epiphany at the same time.

Simple? Sure. Obvious? Hell no.

The Visionaries: Madmen & Masterminds

Most people stare at gold and see dirt. Jeff? He saw veins. A madman with a pickaxe, backed by Zia—a serial visionary who’d build multiple B$ companies out of thin air (story for another day). When Zia bets, you listen. I had already experienced it firsthand when I went to work for him to build the global delivery arm for SATMAP (Now afiniti.com).

So I did.

Packed up in Abu Dhabi. Moved to Pakistan. Boots on the ground.

The Grind: Building in the Trenches

The grind? Brutal. Multi-party deals. Investor egos. TRG’s infrastructure was a double-edged sword—brand power on one side, legacy noise on the other, with its share of opportunists and assholes along with incredible souls. Jeff’s company, DGS, was the engine. My job? Make the gears turn. But the structure was different; I did not work for TRG this time around, instead I worked for a portfolio company, DGS. Tougher yet, balancing the Chairman’s view (Zia) with the Founder’s (Jeff). Staying honest to where the paycheck was coming whilst balancing loyalty to my mentor Zia.

It was not easy. Zia makes you work to levels you don’t think you can, but it brings the best out in you. Lots of learning, many disagreements. Some say he has a reality distortion field when he wants to get some thing done, I feel that is his super power, being ahead of the curve. Many breaking points along the way, days where it felt like this was an insane thing to do. But a masterclass in doing better if you are willing to go through with it.

Jeff was also going through a life-altering journey, many challenges but some one who figured it out in real time. You realize the best and worst of people when you work this closely. The good outweighed it all as it impacted so much positive change in Pakistan. Memory becomes selective over time, I tend to focus on the good vs the challenging. I am sure if the tables are turned I would have had similar short comings. Its just that I’m narrating the story this time around so I get to choose the parts I share.

Gold rushes aren’t about the gold. They’re about who’s willing to dig while everyone else naps. And we dug hard… Like really hard.

The Climb: From Green to Grit

Easy? If I lied and said it was, you’d smell the rot.

I’d left Pakistan as a teenager. My Pakistan specific resume? A single internship at Hubco and a small exit on a consulting business, before coming back with global experience. Zero deep scars from the trenches of building, scaling, or leading domestically at this scale. Now I was back—green, hungry, and staring down a mountain that had energetic young souls who wanted a stab at scaling their outcomes.

First lesson:

You don’t climb a mountain. You carve it.

The Talent Revolution

We needed talent. Not just bodies. Diamonds. The 1% who’d trade textbooks for paid search algorithms. Engineers. Botanists. Medical researchers—anyone who would pass the screening test I’d built. All retrained to hunt leads like wolves. I became a mad professor—teaching myself Google Ads in stolen hours, then recruiting chemists and coders to unlearn their past and weaponize their minds for the new game. It felt oddly satisfying to see people scale to new heights. In the initial days, I was present for the first 300+ interviews in person and met every candidate we hired from the recruitment cycle. It was insane, unscalable but it built the most fiercely loyal and aligned team I have ever worked with.

The Metrics:

From 0 to 30+ paid search assassins.

From borrowed desks to 400 then 600 souls across two cities, eventually hitting 1,000.

From scavenged TRG furniture to building offices and a culture that people refused to leave and go home.

The fuel? Hunger.

A 19-year-old A-level kid earning 500K PKR/month by earning conversion bounties.

Civil engineers tripling salaries—70K to 250K—by mastering lead gen.

Women, 27% of the workforce, rewriting rules in a system built to ignore them.

We didn’t just hire. We ignited.

The Team: Forged in Fire

Hassan Ahmed, our CTO—architect of the machine.

Salman Wajid, the delivery savage who turned chaos into cash.

Ambreen, the HR whisperer who found talent and made them stay.

Great teams aren’t built in boardrooms we had 100s others, far too many to name, you know who you are. (If you were part of the journey would love to hear you comments in the section below the post and how you are doing now.) They’re welded in the wild, trust by trust.

The Chaos & Cashflow

Brutal? Yes.

When was I got on the ground, there was no board. No SECP paperwork. No employee payroll bank account, heck nothing. I was one of the signatories to the SECP shareholding document in trust for TRG. Just inter-company assignments from the principal investor, TRG. Just raw hustle. We reverse-engineered TRG’s decade of lessons into weeks and months. Built offices, bandwidth, fire escapes—even battled Google’s poachers from their newly established offices in Singapore who salivated after our talent pipeline and domestic bureaucrats who’d surprise us at 2 AM for “inspections.” It was the wild wild west.

Cashflow? A vice grip.

Customers paid net-90, sometimes 120. Growth bled us dry. But Zia—always Zia—saw the endgame. “Go public. AIM Market. Now.” Just like that, we had a flurry of advisors and investment bankers between Karachi and Lahore. We were finishing offices, putting a local board together, getting the optics to match the growth. We were never about optics, but going public required some level of structural growing up, to match the fantastic positive growth. I remember painting our makeshift expansion office with call center personnel, 24 hours before our consultants arrived in Lahore.

The Storm Before the Calm

Karachi. Lahore. Hiring lines so thick we needed traffic cops to untangle the streets. Kids in faded resumes becoming kings. Call-center rookies out-earning their fathers and forefathers. A country’s lost generation finding hope in lead-gen paychecks.

Why Tell This Now?

Because 2012 & onwards wasn’t just a decade. It was a heartbeat. A flicker of belief that Pakistan could build. That talent, when unleashed, could lift a nation. That “brain drain” could become brain gain.

We didn’t just scale a business. We proved a truth:

Gold isn’t found. It’s made.

Journey & Impact

Launched/Conceived in 2008, DGS accelerated into a powerhouse by 2012-2015. On February 14, 2013, we achieved a landmark AIM IPO, raising $20.5 million and unlocking transformative value:

Market Momentum: Opening market cap of $73.9m with a 27.7% free float – a vote of confidence from investors.

Balanced Growth: Only 10.8% dilution to existing shareholders, preserving equity while fueling expansion.

Valuation Metrics: Trailing multiples of 3.3x revenue, 22.0x EBITDA, and 36.6x P/E – signaling strong future potential.

Beyond Numbers:

This wasn’t just a financial win. We rewrote futures:

Global Mobility: Relocated talent from Pakistan (PK) to the U.S. and beyond, creating opportunities for employees to thrive internationally.

Skill Revolution: Built Pakistan’s first paid search specialists & software engineers to build atop googles search algorithms and ignited a lead generation revolution, empowering a wave of entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurial Ripple Effect: Alumni from Lahore, Karachi, and beyond launched dozens of startups – from Lisbon to Kentucky – mastering digital innovation. Many became investible ventures in new markets (non-competing, of course 😉).

Legacy:

1,000+ lives transformed directly and many MORE indirectly, skills upgraded, and a blueprint for scaling emerging-market talent globally. DGS proved that ambition, when paired with opportunity, turns local expertise into global impact.

TL;DR

A raw, unpolished journey of scaling Digital Globe Services (DGS) from a scrappy emerging business to an AIM-listed powerhouse. Fueled by lead-gen innovation, relentless hustle, and visionary bets by Zia , it transformed 1,000+ lives, sparked a digital skills revolution, and proved emerging-market talent can compete globally. No fairy tale—just blood, sweat, and an IPO. The question is who will do it again and how soon?

Interventions for the Next Decade
Pakistan’s next decade demands founders who see dirt and envision gold—again. To reignite the spark of 2012, three interventions are non-negotiable:

AI as the New Lead Gen: Pakistani tech companies must pivot from outsourcing to owning AI-native verticals—think hyperlocal healthcare diagnostics, climate-resilient agritech, or vernacular LLMs in addition to global ones. The playbook isn’t chasing trends but creating them. Founders must marry domain expertise with ruthless execution, building “24/7 conversion engines” for the AI era. What you have is access to large data sets. Use them.

Youth as Architects, Not Labor: The youth bulge is a sword—grip the blade wrong, and it cuts. Upskill relentlessly: partner with global AI guilds, launch micro-credentials in prompt engineering, and incentivize startups to train, not just hire. The 19-year-old earning 500PKR/month in 2012? Tomorrow’s version builds AI agents that out-earn Silicon Valley.

Founders Grit > Founder Genius: Success will favor those who thrive in ambiguity—founders fluent in Karachi’s chaos and Regional markets. Double down on hybrid models: remote teams solving global problems, but rooted in local insights. Zia’s “reality distortion field” wasn’t magic—it was seeing two steps ahead while others whined about load-shedding.

Let me leave you with this: Gold rushes don’t repeat, but the hunger to create them does. A decade ago, we carved veins out of keywords and call centers. Tomorrow’s treasure lies in code, data, and the audacity to believe a kid in Lahore can outbuild a Stanford grad. Pakistan’s tech future isn’t about catching up—it’s about leaping. But listen close: AI won’t save you. You save you. The same sweat that scaled DGS must now forge AI factories, the same loyalty that welded teams must now anchor ecosystems. The mountain hasn’t changed—only the tools. So pick up the pickaxe. Dig. And when bureaucrats knock at 2 AM or investors scoff at “emerging markets,” smile. You’ve been here before. Gold isn’t found. It’s made. Again.

The Looming AI Storm: How Pakistan’s Business & Political|BABAS|Leadership Must Evolve to Survive

Pakistan stands at a critical juncture in its economic development. With one of the largest youth populations in the world, the country possesses a significant demographic advantage. However, entrenched in outdated business practices, Pakistan’s industry and business leadership has largely failed to innovate and adapt. As the world rapidly embraces Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), Pakistan’s reliance on inexpensive labor is under threat. This article delves into the urgency of modernizing Pakistan’s business landscape, to avert a looming economic disaster.

The Current Business Landscape in Pakistan

Youth Population

Pakistan’s youth population, accounting for 64% of its total population, is a double-edged sword. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) reports that Pakistan has one of the youngest populations globally, with a median age of around 23 years. This youth bulge represents a massive potential workforce that, if harnessed correctly, could drive economic growth. However, without adequate job opportunities, this demographic dividend could become a demographic disaster. If you are young and reading this, heres some advice for you and some words of cation. TL;DR No One Is Coming to Save You.

Economic Crisis

Pakistan’s economy is grappling with multiple crises. The GDP growth rate has stagnated, hovering around 2.4% in 2022, down from 5.8% in 2018. The inflation rate surged to 27% in April 2023, exacerbating the cost of living crisis for millions of Pakistanis who continue to loose hope in the situation and worse yet in life at large. The fiscal deficit has ballooned, and public debt has reached unsustainable levels, making economic stability precarious. We are battling massive losses on state owned enterprises with only talk of privatization, every passing day causes tax payer losses and no positive momentum. If you want to understand the underlying breakdown of data of how the SOEs(State Owned Enterprises) continue to malfunction and those at the helm who have no idea about what to do, read the following thread.

IMF Loans and Debt

Pakistan’s reliance on external borrowing has placed it in a precarious position. The country’s external debt stood at approximately $131 billion as of 2023, with portions owed to the IMF. The IMF loans come with stringent conditions, often leading to austerity measures that can stifle economic growth and increase social unrest.

Unemployment and Job Market

The unemployment rate in Pakistan is a critical issue, particularly among the youth. According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, the overall unemployment rate is 6.9%, with youth unemployment estimated to be significantly higher. This translates to millions of young people unable to find meaningful employment, leading to a potential rise in social instability. The highest overall unemployment rate (11.56pc) is prevalent among the age group of 20-24 years. (Data and Stats below)

Lack of Modernization and Corruption Across the board

Pakistan’s industrial and business sectors lag in modernization. The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report 2022 ranked Pakistan 110th out of 141 countries, highlighting severe deficiencies in innovation capability and technological readiness. Corruption exacerbates these issues, with Pakistan ranked 140th out of 180 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index 2023. Bureaucratic inefficiencies and political corruption hinder economic progress and deter foreign investment.

Social Justice and Education

Social justice remains an elusive goal in Pakistan. The literacy rate is around 59%, with significant disparities between urban and rural areas. The quality of education is inconsistent, often failing to equip students with the skills needed in the modern economy. The Human Development Index (HDI) places Pakistan at 154th out of 189 countries, reflecting the country’s struggles with providing adequate health, education, and living standards.

Elite Capture

Elite capture refers to the phenomenon where a small, wealthy elite controls a disproportionate share of economic resources and political power. In Pakistan, this manifests through the dominance of family-owned conglomerates that stifle competition and innovation. These elites often engage in rent-seeking behaviors, using their influence to secure favorable policies and contracts, further entrenching economic inequality. We have been hit in the face every day for the last 7 decades with this phenomenon. You must understand this before you try to solve for it.

Now lets Talk about AI and AGI + Where we are headed..

Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think and learn like humans. These systems can perform tasks such as recognizing speech, making decisions, and translating languages, often with a level of efficiency and accuracy that surpasses human capabilities.

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI): AGI is a more advanced form of AI that possesses the ability to understand, learn, and apply knowledge across a wide range of tasks, mimicking human cognitive abilities. Unlike narrow AI, which is designed for specific tasks, AGI aims to perform any intellectual task that a human can, with the capacity for reasoning, problem-solving, and abstract thinking.

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Singapore, and the experience was eye-opening. The progress I witnessed there starkly highlighted how far behind we are in comparison. Don’t get me wrong, I celebrate humanity’s advancements, but it painted a somber picture of our own future.

To provide some context, Google operates a global accelerator program, and I have been fortunate enough to serve as a mentor for several years. At its core, this program aims to support startups by providing access to Google’s cutting-edge technology without requiring equity. Startups are paired with top global talent in the form of mentors, helping them to innovate and grow.

During my visit, I was involved in Google’s AI:First Singapore Accelerator. This initiative, in partnership with the Singaporean government, was exclusively for Singapore-based companies. The level of support and resources available to these startups was impressive and highlighted the significant gap between Singapore’s proactive approach and our own.

Singapore’s government and business leadership have wholeheartedly embraced technology, driving a wave of innovation that positions them at the forefront of global progress. Their commitment to fostering a tech-savvy environment is evident in the robust support infrastructure for startups, the strategic partnerships with tech giants like Google, and the relentless pursuit of technological advancement.

In contrast, our own leadership and business sectors seem mired in outdated practices, resistant to change, and slow to adopt new technologies. This reluctance not only stifles innovation but also hinders our ability to compete on the global stage. Singapore’s forward-thinking approach serves as a stark reminder of the potential we are failing to unlock due to a lack of visionary leadership and a commitment to modernization.

The Reality of Pakistan’s Youth Population

Despite the government’s frequent proclamations about the benefits of having a young population, the harsh reality is that this youth is under-educated, under-skilled, and under-exposed. As AI continues to advance, these young minds are at risk of being dominated by intelligent systems that can perform their jobs more efficiently and at a lower cost.

Education and Skills Gap

The literacy rate in Pakistan is 59%, with substantial disparities between different regions and socioeconomic groups. Furthermore, the education system is not adequately preparing students for the demands of the modern workforce. According to the World Economic Forum, Pakistan ranks 125th out of 130 countries in the Global Human Capital Report, highlighting the severe skills gap.

Technological Advancements by OpenAI and Google

Recent advancements by companies like OpenAI and Google demonstrate the disruptive potential of AI. OpenAI’s latest autonomous agents are capable of performing complex tasks such as content creation, translation, and customer service. Google’s AI tools are transforming industries by providing advanced capabilities in data analysis, virtual assistance, and design.

These AI tools are set to clean the slate for low-cost destinations. For example, AI-driven virtual assistants can handle customer service interactions more efficiently than human workers. AI-powered design tools can create high-quality graphics and content without the need for a human designer. AI translators can provide instant, accurate translations across multiple languages. Call centers, traditionally a stronghold of low-cost labor, are increasingly being automated with AI systems that can handle inquiries and provide support around the clock. But first, to really understand what is going on, you must understand the Myth of the IT Sector that has been created by the powers be, for us to act on next steps and not build IT Towers and Buildings we must understand where the issues lie.

Some Sobering thoughts on whats to come..

AI systems excel in data processing and analysis. In industries like finance, healthcare, and logistics, AI can perform tasks such as data entry, pattern recognition, and predictive analysis more efficiently than human workers. A PwC report estimates that AI could contribute up to $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030, but only for countries that effectively integrate these technologies.

The Urgency & Will to Change & Knowing What to Change….

Investing in Education and Training

To harness the potential of our young population, Pakistan must invest in education and vocational training. Emphasizing STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education is crucial to prepare the workforce for AI-driven industries. According to the World Bank, improving educational outcomes could boost Pakistan’s GDP by up to 30% over the long term. But we might already be too late, we need to start of by having less ministers and more doers. We cant fix a problem we don’t understand. Start with vocational training and re training of unemployed and underemployed youth in the field of AI enabled tools, services etc. The Irony being that the former Federal Minister of Technology who could likely not even use a computer is now the Federal Minister of Education. You can not change your outcomes with these Mickey mouse tactics. Our current minister of Technology has not really been in office long enough but early indicators clearly point in the direction that they are not much different from the previous one or the many former ones who have had no idea what they were doing(based on progress or the lack lack thereof). Working to either build PR, enjoy foreign trips, or do photo ops. Net net the outcomes and promises seldom fulfilled. From trainings to budgets being squandered across the decades we have had these ministries.

Encouraging Entrepreneurship

Creating an environment that supports startups and small businesses can drive innovation and economic diversification. Government policies should provide incentives for young entrepreneurs, fostering a culture of creativity and risk-taking. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) reports that countries with high levels of entrepreneurial activity tend to have more robust economic growth. For all my opposition on doing away with ministers and ministries, what we do need and continue to optimize is to promote SMEs, we have near retarded and regionally focused organizations who allegedly work for SMEs, all they do is show up to kitty parties paid for by Karandaaz and Bill & Melinda Gates and many others (not trying to single out these guys) in Islamabad, have some tier three food at Serena and do PR events and go home. Oh lets not forget, tag each other across social media and talk about their hard life. The real dis incentive this nonsense causes is stop those who are really working hard when they see baseline and crappy ideas getting support and funding but no outcomes. We have to try harder.

Modernizing Business Practices

Family-owned conglomerates must modernize their business practices. This includes investing in research and development, embracing digital transformation, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement. According to a Harvard Business Review study, companies that invest in digital transformation are 26% more profitable than their peers. Here is the kicker, when you got in reality and stasticaly speaking old men running the country, its businesses and enterprises, who insist on in person meetings and wasting your whole day about “things in their time” you know this is a one way ticket to no where, we have to bring change where change deserves a chance, a the very top. Folks who became rich by holding on to dad’s money, dad’s friends, concessions, contracts and subsidies, will not want to do any transformation, digital or moral. But we need to move in that direction for the growth and sustainability of our youth. This country can not afford to keep its youth at home and un employed with only TikTok as their best friend. The net effect of that is that the AI Algo on that social media will actually bring more dis content to the youth when they see the have and have nots across geographical divides, no level of social media monitoring and management will fix that discontent. You must realize that you cant compete with AI and Algos by filling forms and stopping accounts. You must know your adversary (*inquire within). The saiths must be mandated to attend some level of basic AI awareness bootcamp or chai, what ever gets them in the door to listen to the voice of reason.

Public-Private Partnerships

Collaboration between the government and private sector is essential to accelerate the adoption of AI technologies. Public-private partnerships can fund research, develop infrastructure, and create a supportive regulatory environment. Successful examples from other countries, like Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative, demonstrate the benefits of such collaborations.

What should the Government & Business be doing?

The rise of AI and AGI represents both a challenge and an opportunity for Pakistan. But if only managed in real time. The current business leadership must act decisively to modernize and embrace technological advancements. The political folks at the helm must do away with building IT Parks and inviting has beens to advise on building educational ecosystem and modern growth led industries. We have this backwards. We continue to invite people who have access to local political and business franchises vs bring the host of Pakistanis who live and work globally who are experts in the space. We do not need committees. We need to Kum the Teas if you get my drift and do more work. We need less announcements, more action. But at the very core we need working and reliable internet, or none of this talk of the youth, goes any where besides to shit. You can not have a thriving digital ecosystem offline. So who ever is responsible for advising the powers be, my 2 cents to you, is being pragmatic and defining the exam question you want to solve vs solving for your own success as advisors and torch bearers of equality. We can see past this, the youth understand this BS they have seen enough, help them help us all get out of our economic mess.

Failure to do so will not only erode the country’s competitive advantage but also leave a generation of young workers facing unemployment and economic uncertainty. By investing in education, fostering innovation, and modernizing business practices, Pakistan can navigate this technological revolution and emerge stronger and more resilient. But the expiry date on this is fast approaching. To understand why, you must understand the competition, does not eat, sleep, or take bio breaks. Don’t believe me, see below.

Veon’s Jazz in Pivot Peril as PTCL-Etisalat Merger Shakes Up Pakistani Telecom Landscape

In the burgeoning telecom sector of Pakistan, Veon’s subsidiary Jazz faces a pivotal juncture. Veon’s third-quarter financial disclosures and strategic plans, outlined during their latest earnings call and a comprehensive trading update, convey a narrative of a company striving for digital metamorphosis amidst a fiercely competitive and economically challenging environment.

The latest figures from Veon present a mixed bag. While Jazz boasts a commendable year-over-year local revenue growth of 12% — an impressive feat in a tough economic climate — when converted to the reported currency, this figure faces a steep 17.1% year-on-year decline, according to Veon’s trading update. This stark contrast underscores the debilitating effect of the depreciating Pakistani rupee and the country’s macroeconomic volatility on Jazz’s financial performance.

The strategic decision to sell Jazz’s tower assets for $450 million is both a lifeline and a gamble. This divestiture, frees up substantial capital. However, with $150 million allocated for debt settlement going to the Parent Co, the remaining $300 million represents a strategic war chest that must be invested shrewdly. The question on investors’ minds is whether Jazz can channel these funds into successful digital ventures, or whether this will mark the beginning of a gradual decline in infrastructure quality and network reliability. We have seen plenty of bad bets from Jazz/Veon in trying to build and launch its own messaging app in 2017 to not really being able to capitalize JazzCash beyond low end money transfer use cases (don’t get me wrong, how it built out the service from no where to taken on easy paisa is great execution) what we don’t know is, if they can get past the basic use cases? They have burnt more advertising money on SME/MSME market in their QR code and other strategies with no real financial returns.

Generally, it is seen that the value created by the digital adoption of services at the consumer end cannot directly be captured by B2C product creation alone. A much better model is B2B2C and the B2B portfolio of PTCL (beyond corporate SIM connectivity) is seemingly much larger and faster growing than Jazz.

On the digital front, Jazz has made commendable strides. Veon’s earnings call, as recounted by Insider Monkey, highlighted JazzCash and Tamasha as shining examples of its successful digital operator strategy. JazzCash continues to dominate the fintech space with 15.4 million monthly active users, and Tamasha has emerged as the country’s leading video streaming app. Yet, as Pakistan’s digital economy burgeons, these platforms face the colossal task of converting digital traffic into sustainable revenue streams. A contender in the form of TAPMAD with 1M subs and a revenue model is a real competitor in the space.

This land grab is without sustainable revenue and Jazz has not really leveraged its network dominance to grow this, it has relied on the same advertising muscle without reliance on innovation muscle. The question, we are compelled to ask, are they even playing the innovation game or are they just carrying out corporate instructions from VEON?

The skepticism surrounding Jazz’s future is compounded by the recent acquisition of Telenor Pakistan by PTCL, a move that could potentially dethrone Jazz as the market leader for the first time in three decades. The sentiments expressed by the Jazz CEO on Twitter reflect a complex blend of industry insight and personal reflection.

He acknowledges the potential efficiency gains from market consolidation but also voices concerns about foreign investment implications and the need for policy reforms.

PTCL’s acquisition, backed by Etisalat’s prowess, could bring about a new telecom era in Pakistan. With a government stake, PTCL may leverage this merger to push for infrastructure expansion and digital services, potentially reaping the benefits of scale and state support. Jazz, in contrast, must navigate these waters with a private-sector agility and a focus on innovation to retain its market share.

Drawing parallels from other markets, the consolidation of telecom operators often leads to a surge in investment and improvements in service quality. However, it can also result in reduced competition, potentially stifling innovation. Jazz’s challenge will be to maintain its innovative edge while managing the inherent risks of reduced CapEx and infrastructure investment.(As per VEON alluding in its Q3-Call). Based on what I read.

The telecom sector’s history in Pakistan, marred by high taxation and regulatory challenges, offers a cautionary tale. Jazz’s predecessors, Warid and Telenor, once robust market players, ultimately consolidated or exited, leaving behind a legacy of what could have been. Jazz must learn from these lessons to avoid a similar fate.

As Jazz charts its course, the potential pitfalls are numerous. The Pakistani telecom market, with over 167 million mobile subscribers as per the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority’s 2022 report, is ripe for digital services growth, yet equally fraught with economic and regulatory minefields. A failure to capitalize on the digital wave could see Jazz’s customer base erode, particularly as PTCL and Etisalat fortify their position as they are global players in tough markets having launched and built more sustainable products.

In conclusion, Jazz’s future hinges on strategic agility and the effective deployment of its $300 million windfall if the sale goes through and numbers hold, I am not aware of the latest developments on that front. Veon’s historical data and market precedents suggest that the next few years will be critical. Jazz could either emerge as a digital phoenix, rising amidst Pakistan’s telecom revolution, or find itself outpaced by a newly consolidated PTCL-Etisalat entity. The strategies adopted today will resonate through the next decade, potentially redefining Pakistan’s telecom narrative.

In the PTCL-Telenor mergedCo, there is an element of fixed line subscription and the very fast deployment of FTTH that PTCL has undertaken. By Jan 2024, PTCL will become the largest FTTH player overtaking Cybernet (source: PTA FTTH Market Data). The fixed mobile convergence advantage that PTCL-TP has cannot be replicated by Jazz, unless they use their $300 million war chest to acquire an FTTH Operator.

War-Gaming the Digital Frontier:

Jazz’s Top 5 Strategic Moves

  1. Diversify Digital Offerings: Jazz must broaden its digital service portfolio beyond JazzCash and Tamasha, potentially tapping into e-SME, e-education, and smart home technologies along with a huge focus on customer service.
  2. Strategic Partnerships: Collaborating with tech giants and local startups could infuse innovation and expand service offerings without heavy CapEx investments. Partnerships of equals.
  3. Data Analytics Investment: Enhancing data analytics capabilities can lead to personalized services, improving customer retention and attracting new segments.
  4. Monetizing User Base: Leveraging its substantial user base to offer premium digital content and exclusive services can generate additional revenue streams.
  5. Community-Focused Initiatives: Investing in community-driven platforms can build brand loyalty and drive user engagement, essential for organic growth in digital spaces. Make money when people make money with you concept.

PTCL-Etisalat’s Tactical Advantages:

5 Growth Catalysts

  1. Infrastructure Expansion: Leveraging the merger to expand and upgrade network infrastructure can attract customers prioritizing connectivity and service quality.
  2. Government and Enterprise Services: With a government stake in PTCL, there’s scope to secure large-scale enterprise contracts, particularly in smart city projects.
  3. Foreign Investment Influx: Etisalat’s global presence could attract foreign direct investment, facilitating advanced technology deployments in Pakistan as a bolt on to SIFC Led initiatives.
  4. Market Consolidation: Rationalizing the merged entity’s operations to eliminate redundancies can result in cost efficiencies and streamlined services.
  5. Brand Positioning: Rebranding efforts post-merger can position PTCL-Etisalat as an innovator, capitalizing on Telenor’s goodwill and Etisalat’s international reputation.

Jazz’s Potential Strategic Missteps could be: Five Faux Pas in Pakistan’s Telecom Play

  1. Overlooking Infrastructure: In the bid to transform digitally, if Jazz neglects its core network infrastructure, it could suffer from quality issues, leading to customer attrition.
  2. Misjudging Market Needs: A misalignment between Jazz’s digital offerings and consumer demands can result in low adoption rates, rendering new services unprofitable.
  3. Failing to Innovate: A lack of continuous innovation might render Jazz’s services obsolete in the face of rapidly evolving technology and consumer expectations.
  4. Inadequate Policy Lobbying: Without engaging proactively with policymakers, Jazz could find itself disadvantaged by regulatory constraints that hamper growth.
  5. Erratic Financial Management: If the $300 million/Xxx Million from the tower sale is not allocated strategically, Jazz could miss critical investment opportunities, impeding its digital transformation.

PTCL-Etisalat’s Strategic Stumbles: Five Potential Pitfalls Post-Merger

  1. Integration Woes: The failure to seamlessly integrate Telenor’s operations could lead to service disruptions, customer dissatisfaction, and a tarnished brand reputation.
  2. Overestimation of Synergies: Overestimating the cost savings and synergies from the merger could lead to aggressive cost-cutting, compromising service quality.
  3. Neglecting Customer Loyalty: If PTCL-Etisalat underestimates the value of Telenor’s customer loyalty, it could face unexpected churn post-acquisition.
  4. Misaligned Brand Strategy: An incoherent brand strategy post-merger could confuse customers, weaken brand equity, and dilute the market message.
  5. Complacency in Competition: With the merger’s completion, there’s a risk of complacency, assuming market dominance is assured, which could lead to a lack of competitive drive and innovation.

The moves outlined for Jazz and PTCL-Etisalat are not mere conjecture but are based on an analysis of market trends, consumer behavior studies, and the strategic patterns observed in global telecom markets albeit at a basic level of review by non industry insider. As the Pakistani telecom market braces for this tectonic shift, the strategies adopted by both entities will have far-reaching implications, potentially redefining their trajectories for the coming decade and beyond.


Leadership Dynamics: The Silent Catalyst in Pakistan’s Telecom Tussle

In the high-stakes game of telecommunications, where market data and financial muscle often dominate the discourse, a subtle yet powerful force is at play — leadership. As PTCL and Jazz vie for dominance in Pakistan’s evolving telecom market, the leadership style and organizational culture of each entity could well dictate their paths to success or failure.

PTCL’s rise in the B2B space can be attributed to more than strategic positioning; it is a story of effective leadership and a robust support system. With a leadership team at the helm who has not only expanded the business but fostered a culture of experimentation and openness to ideas, PTCL stands out as an exemplar of progressive corporate stewardship. But PTCL has legacy issues, talent and infrastructure led growth, lack of early innovation in some ways resulted in an acquisition vs incubated growth.

In contrast, Jazz appears to be navigating through a personality-centric leadership approach. The company’s struggle to maintain a stable CEO for its Jazz Cash venture, with approximately four or five attempts falling short, potentially points to deeper issues within its corporate hierarchy. Organizations that operate on a ‘cult of personality’ or through an atmosphere of looking to the parent co and thus compliance are often at a disadvantage. Such environments can stifle innovation and deter talented individuals who may not align with the overarching leadership ideology. But some may argue, in a developing market you need strong leaders, and Jazz has certainly by way of its decade long position proven that they are doing it right. There is a method to the madness for sure. I for one think that effective leadership is what got them here, they have just been unlucky in the Jazz Cash business. The question is, do they take those lessons and evolve fast enough? Especially since there is no EasyPaisa in the PTCL-Telenor deal. Or does this now create two battlefronts for Jazz, one in the telco space and one in the financial services one? What if there there was a possibility that PTCL will also acquire Telenor Bank/easyPaisa in which case the JazzCash advantage will be muted.

The importance of leadership in shaping corporate destiny cannot be overstated. Companies that embrace a collaborative and inclusive leadership style tend to exhibit greater adaptability and innovation. PTCL’s ability to grow and retain its B2B Leadership that has not only delivered results but also cultivated a team-oriented culture could give it an edge over Jazz. This leadership model is conducive to nurturing a fertile ground for new ideas and initiatives, which are critical in the rapidly shifting telecom landscape. But its too early to make a call who wins.

Jazz, with the leadership tier seemingly ensconced in longstanding roles, may lack the agility that comes from a more fluid exchange of ideas and leadership styles. The top-down approach, may hinder the company’s ability to effectively respond to market changes and internal challenges.

The case of Jazz Cash is illustrative of the pitfalls of a non-inclusive leadership approach. A revolving door of CEOs (at Jazz Cash) suggests an inability to align with the vision of the parent company(Jazz), hinting at a discord between individual initiative and corporate direction. Such instability at the leadership level can cascade through the organization, eroding morale and hampering the company’s ability to execute a coherent strategic vision especially when you cant win the battle by deeper CapEx spend. The current market dynamics around regulatory policies don’t help either.

As PTCL quietly strengthens its position, backed by a leadership that is open to experimentation and ideation, Jazz’s leadership challenges could prove to be a significant Achilles’ heel. While the telecom giant is not without its strengths, its ability to evolve and adapt leadership structures will be critical in keeping pace with a competitor that is quietly outmaneuvering it not just in market share, but in corporate culture and innovation. (Some thing Id be hard pressed to admit a few years back about PTCL)

This juxtaposition of leadership models underscores a broader narrative in business: companies that cultivate a dynamic and inclusive leadership ethos are better positioned to thrive amidst market upheavals. For Jazz and PTCL, the battle for telecom supremacy in Pakistan may well be won or lost not just in boardrooms and balance sheets but in the less tangible, yet equally critical, realm of leadership philosophy and practice. I would not discount Jazz’s ability to use it as a strength and surprise every one.

Heres to the better company & leadership dominating the space and for consumers to win in the end.

#PakistanStrong

Key Updates from Veon’s Q3 Call & Its Published Data on PKDownload

Digital Bank(s)/Bank(ing)/Fin-techs & The People Who Lead The Charge In 🇵🇰

As a consumer who is marred by sub-par digital banking services, let alone delightful experiences. I always wonder(ed) who are the anonymous faces that gather on our behalf and come up with experiences in the digital realm? Also why are most, if not all of these experiences so shitty? And why has not one single bank/fin tech etc really done any thing significant in the space. I have tried very hard to like the apps, services, user experiences, digital journeys, but they are generally illogical, badly thought out, detached from good user experience design and then some.

Look every one has a right to build their APPs/Online services the way they want to but given that these ones specifically impact the way individuals and arguably SMEs do business, they are helping no one. I would argue that the reason SMEs really don’t scale in this country is because of the horrendous lack of focus by the Incumbent banks and really consumer-intellect heavy products, that are neither intuitive nor shelf-stable.

Why did I add SMEs to the bucket, because that is the real value unlock of any of these players and their organizations understood stuff besides receiving trophies and accolades from circle jerk clubs of peers and attending paid conferences to evangelize the 1996 level websites & services they continue to crank out. No hard feelings, if any one took an objective look they would tend to agree.

Let’s start by identifying who the players are first. It took Some time, but it had to be done. *If you’d like an interactive copy of the file, subscribe to my newsletter or engage with the post here/retweet the original post

Incumbent CDOs/Leaders

So looking at the incumbent banks and their Digital Chiefs/Custodians, I decided to look at their digital footprint and their digital engagement.

The exam question being:

“Can some one who is not really digitally first/native, them selves, (based on cursory information online) lead/develop/build/guide/manage, the best digital experiences for their banks audiences?”

You can be the judge of the answer to that question & if you agree or disagree that their designed experiences come up to par with your basic expectations. Some of it has to do with the culture of the banks, some of it has to do with the background and experiences of the people leading the charge.

This data cant be used as statistically accurate; as its part, fact, part opinion part conjecture, part wishful thinking part frustration with the shoddy services as an end user that I have to endure daily.

In the spirit of generalizations, barring a few of these folks at incumbents, most have been moving around between banks locally, some, arguably have foreign experience, some in relevant fields, whilst others not. The issue is, when banks locally continue to hire people who have been learning only from “vendors” & their so called “conferences” in Dubai, the collective sum of the output is in front of us.

Please recognize that person with the latest IPhone or the tightest jeans or turtle neck , pinstripe blazers or socksless shoes is not the only or ideal CDO candidate. Nor the ones who talk the loudest or make the most noise are those who are the most ruthless politically at the bank(s) either. Its these traditions that have continued to F**k the consumers and continued to challenge the central bank who really wants to support digital first services and products, but they get disappointed by their babus of digital at commercial banks. Interestingly the regulator has more gravitas with digital vs the incumbents. So really need to highlight their efforts and digital stewardship. Good on you SBP…You know who you are.

Show me one key player in this list and show me some thing of value, significance, they built in this role or their former roles working domestically or abroad that can be attributed to being a local, regional or a global success in the digital space? Most if not all follow the same mentality, how many people report to me? How many days will I take to respond back to vendor/client emails? How busy am I pretending to be this week?

These digital leaders cant be faulted alone for the way things are, they are just victims of their own roles and self perceived success. Some humble pie would go a long way.

The issue is, what new “doodad, thingamajigy” is the flavor of the month that some one forwarded the CEO of the Bank.. The way that journey works is; the Banks CEO or Sponsors rely on some thing called the “down ward shit-sandwich” which is essentially to reign in the stooges, they find some thing from an other market, send a Whatsapp forward to the person in charge, and then ask “do we have this” (DWHT). This is how most strategies come about at Banks. Pleasing upwards..

Fu** the customer essentially, what the F**k does the customer know they want… Let’s build what the CEO or the Saith is asking for. So can you really fault the employees?

Job security, brown nosing, one-upmanship , big titles with no execution gravitas, zero technical and infrastructure understanding, is what brings us to this. This is not an attack on the employees of the incumbents, but more of an empathetic stance, “I understand your plight bro(s)” Also missing in no small part, is the fact that not one BANK in PK has a Female CDO or Tech Leader. Please do point me in their direction if I missed some one.

Looking further down stream on why some ones digital foot print beyond LinkedIn namely on Twitter/X is a good representation of their digital credentials, I couldn’t possibly point you to a scientific reason.

No less if you aren’t even some one whose end users/product participants cant even tag online, are you really proud of what you are building or leading? Or are you hiding from the work behind layers of obfuscated handles, company accounts, call centers etc. Basically if the buck doesn’t stop with you on digital journeys, where does it really stop? So you want the title, recognition, awards, salaries but not the responsibility? Again more a systemic issue than a role/person based one.

There are serious exceptions to the rule, none that I’ve seen at the incumbents but many at the upcoming fintechs/new banking product leaders etc. We will get into that list shortly.

So coming back to Twitter or even LinkedIn perhaps, the only thing most of these executives are experts in doing, from a community engagement perspective is taking stylized images of their business class flights, expensive wrist watches and the occasional “How do we fix IT exports” type debates. Clearly focusing on the wrong KPIs.

There is zero building in public, zero public apologies, zero feedback, just hyperbole and bullshit posts/copied from other places and most recently completely mindless ChatGPT output. Yes I’ve spent some time reading their posts last weekend. The most interesting ones are those where they write posts on GenZ and Millennial POVs, and you have 50-60yr old bankers & internal employees commenting on their posts, “great boss”. Talk about the Irony…

If you were a large share holder of these banks, a board member, a saith, a sponsor, or even the CEO, you should be asking: “How qualified are these people really to lead the single most important factor in your future growth as the challenger banks and fintechs come to town?”

You are about to be toast if either your banks goals aren’t aligned with your digital leaders skill set or you do not empower them, all the faults don’t lie with them, they are the output of a highly politically astute chess match that typically got them to where they are. But human instinct is survivalist at best and these guys have perfected it.

Digging further down, since we are being honest, some of these guys have re-branded their failed mis-adventures in to juicer titles/roles in their new companies and roles. My favorite example from some years ago is that every one in every bank who ever worked at EasyPaisa was “founder team member” of easy paisa or head of payments or “chief some thing”, I identified 7 of them at various banks using LinkedIn. Not my data or analysis just what their titles state. Gross inflation of designations leading to sub-par journeys for customers and no real traction in the digital realm. Forget financial inclusion, these folks cant even have a cohesive online conversation on the functions they are allegedly leading.

So far we have identified 5 Core issues

  1. Lack of Digital Channel Engagement on part of the CDOs/Leaders
  2. Title Inflation & Celebrating Fake Former Milestones
  3. Pleasing Upwards
  4. Being first for all the wrong reasons & products
  5. Limited Exposure (domestic market job cycling) or horizontal movement from the region

We move along to the challengers next and their CDOs/Leadership.

New-co Banks/Fintech Digital Leaders

There is some traction in this space(Thankfully). Whilst these were the only folks who showed up on minimalistic LinkedIn searches, before you come at me, that there are many more fintechs and many more new licensees. Trust me I am not getting paid to dig out the folks here but genuinely interested in comparisons. With Sadapay and Zindigi we have seen the leaders engage heavily with the community online tackling questions answers, complaints. both Omer + Noman take to public engagement and hence I am aware of their community first approaches because it’s online. With Hugo, Atyab is seen as trying to build in public so thats a +1 for some one entering the market and clearly a lost opportunity for incumbent digital leaders who have insane brand recognition and distribution. So Kudos to these folks for trying as new-cos and new brands. But time will determine how successful they end up being, from the looks of it, they are trying a different approach and being mindful of their audiences.

The Easy Fix:

  1. Bring in teams with digital transformation, expertise hire from adjacent industries
  2. Build real talent on your boards with folks who have multi vertical digital experiences
  3. Shed the sahabs/babus/relatives of the sponsors or their touts in positions that can change the fate of the banks Vis-à-Vis the real potential of real digital rails
  4. Stop hiring McKinsey
  5. CEO of banks need to really really really hire digital advisors or board members not just internal committee members. CEOs understanding of digital is really superficial barring 2-3 banks. Sorry guys, you may not agree but it’s the truth.
  6. CEOs of Banks Need to Focus on SME/SME solutions think growth $s
  7. Be very careful, that your brightest talent is going to be, and is already being hired by regional players. If you do not promote the right talent from within they will leave because they are sick and tired of working for your non-digital, digital leadership
  8. For the CEO/Boards/CDOs, please start using your own apps vs relying on your CDOs for feedback
  9. Take action vs making claims(CEO/Digital Leaders)
  10. KPIs are your friends, not fake awards

What is really missing?

I continue to feel that the intent to build truly digital solutions is missing. Apps, websites, hardware, etc do not replace intent. Since 2007, I believe, when branchless banking regime came about, has any one really put out a comprehensive digital banking product, experience? Bi-weekly the industry continues to do MOUs, drive FOMO at their leadership cadres and the most successful digital pundits continue to get outsized internal funding allocations. Till there is intent nothing will change. With this, I wish the new-comers to really make a difference and lead with intent & for the incumbents to try one last time.

Net, net stop talking about digital and start innovating and putting in the right talent, leadership and KPIs with a view that most of your future customers are going be in their 20s & 30s and they are brand agnostic, only service will determine the success across your digital platforms and dreams so lead with intent or these new audience will move along.

This is a consumer driven view, I feel every time I write an opinion piece some one comes out of the woodworks and threatens legal action. Consider this a free audit instead. Focus on using litigation dollars for bringing about change instead. Consider this a public service for our collective growth. No CDOS were harmed during field research.

The ‘real cost’ of the 2+ Part Canadian Dream & Everything in between.

Canada is a fantastic place. It has great public infrastructure, friendly people, amazing natural beauty, and a wide variety of cultures and traditions. It’s a safe country where you can live a peaceful life if you follow the rules. But Canada is not immune to the economic pressures that the world is facing. Food inflation is above average, and the real estate market is completely unhinged. Rental prices are high, interest rates are high, and there is a shortage of housing.

As migration trends increase, the supply of resources like housing is being stretched to its limits in major cities. Public infrastructure is also being taxed.

If you are thinking about moving to Canada, you need to be aware of these challenges. You need to do your research and make sure that you are prepared for the practical realities of Canadian life. But don’t let these challenges discourage you. Canada is still a great place to live. It’s a country with a lot to offer, and it’s worth making the effort to overcome the challenges.

This is not an economic break down or a political one. This is a reality check for those who need to understand the facts and need to get their house in order before they embrace the Canadian life.

Because the minute they land they will face some thing called :

“The Canadian Experience”


“Canadian experience” for job seekers refers to the experience gained by working in Canada, specifically within the Canadian job market and professional environment. Many employers in Canada often mention “Canadian experience” as a requirement or preference when hiring new employees, especially for certain roles and industries. But a lot of folks are compelled to ask, after 20 yrs of global experience, how hard really is to do the same thing in Canada?? But let me clarify:

Having Canadian experience demonstrates that a job seeker is familiar with the Canadian workplace culture, norms, communication styles, and industry practices. Ive worked in over a dozen countries, trust me, Canada has its own pace, norms, quirks and assimilation criteria.

In part, just my observation alone, it is a small economy thing. With 38M people and being the 38th most populous country, it is not as Large as the US, (some thing most immigrants confuse it with), it’s also neither as ambitious as America as a homogenous population group (if i can take the liberty of saying as much) nor is it in any race to create millionaires and billionaires. Don’t get me wrong it will give you every opportunity if you want it so.

The drive in Canada for most Canadians from a work perspective is to “break even” on the effort and reward. It took me years of living there to understand this. It is not a bad thing, it makes the people happy, it drives them to doing other things in life. Their measure of growth, success and happiness is not related to work place success, some thing that at least I feel in over a decade spent in the US, as being part of most peoples identity. Not the same in Canada by a long shot.

It’s not just about the technical skills and qualifications, but also about understanding how things work within the Canadian context. This can include understanding workplace etiquette, customer service expectations, teamwork dynamics, and more.

For newcomers to Canada, this can sometimes present a challenge. They might have relevant skills and experience from their home country or other places, but employers may still prefer candidates with Canadian experience. This can create a catch-22 situation where newcomers struggle to get their first job in Canada due to the lack of local experience. The expectation of most employers due to immigration programs etc, is the fact that most people coming are either low(er) skilled, or without relevant (contextual experience) or both. This really skews opportunities for those who do not fall in that category.

Part 1.

If you are highly skilled and under 40 you have a fighting chance to make a good living which would entail that your skills translate directly, that there is no major waiting period to find work or re-certifications or the “Canadian Experience” ** requirement. That you can start plugging away to a 100 to 150k CAD$ role in sub 3 months from when you arrive or can actually start work remotely.

In my experience this can happen in a host of professions but typically Ive seen it happen for (Not a comprehensive or exhaustive list or perhaps even accurate)

  1. Digital Transformation & Strategy Consultants who have global experience as part of say a big four role in their home country
  2. Software developers with command over the english language and a Github repository and equal parts community advocacy that is searchable online
  3. Specialists in Mining, Oil Production, Chemical Engineers and wait for it…..
  4. Folks who have extensive freight, logistics, 3PL Chinese shipping lane experience
  5. Lucky few who work for Global Companies and can do an internal role search and swap out to Canada
  6. Free lancers who are solopreneurs who already make 5 to 10k USD a month who do not need local employment but can now access domestic payments, credit etc infrastructure to grow their own business and or add remote workers whose front end they become
  7. Specialist consultants who have direct experience in Energy + Distribution business, folks who have industrial and mechanical experience in large public infrastructure roles on standardized plant equipment etc.
  8. Automotive engineers who have hands on manufacturing experience with globally recognized certifications and work experience at a Toyota, Honda, BMW etc.
  9. Entrepreneurs who use Canada as a new base of operations to target the US as an export market if their products and services allow
  10. Influencers who can work from any where (never thought this would be some thing, but its real, I know a few influencers who have moved across and continue to produce content for completely different markets but use the Canadian backdrop and access to professional studios etc to 2X their business)
  11. Digital Marketing specialists ala — Paid Search + SEO + SEM + Influencer Marketing, b2b, DTC + agency background is a god send especially if you have relevant platform level certifications and a demonstrable portfolio where you have been directly responsible for hands on execution and growth.
  12. Cyber security specialists with modern tools + hands on experience
  13. Industry specific Client relationship specialists (like hazardous waste handling or nuclear medicine etc).
  14. Low code, no code specialists with demonstrable automation projects + platform certifications
  15. AI, ML + Data science folks with demonstrable application of their work, models or outcomes.

Part 2

You are in the low income category without any directly relevant skills today and can take full advantage of government benefits or can stay happy even if you don’t earn a lot.

This is both a mind set and a reality. I am not listing this to expose some scam you can run to take advantage of Canada. On the contrary, this is for those, who feel that they are able bodied, they are willing to go the extra % and in any shape or form take their god given ability to do any thing, to get out of their present circumstances.

Canada will welcome you so long as you are willing to work hard. Canada continues to need folks with emerging skills, but recognizes that they may not pay enough beyond a working wage. That is off set by the government programs, access to public services and infrastructure. A roof over your head, and typically having the safety and security you did not have access to where you migrated from.

The world is a tough place, people have varying degree of circumstances so there are always going to be folks who are just starting off. If you find your self in that category, you are definitely going to be in a better shape in Canada. But you must understand the reality of that. It is going be hard, it is going to be no savings, not much entertainment but it will lead to you building the life you want, need, deserve and work towards.

The government will give you a hand for sure, but you need to come prepared that it is going to be a tough, taxing, mental and physical ride. There will be dozens of assimilation challenges, work challenges, lots of good bad and ugly people, lots of sleepless nights, lots of lost opportunities, lots of missed memories with loved ones, but if you have a goal in sight, you have the ability to do well for your self. Nothing will come to you, you will have to identify, enlist and avail the government support made available whilst working towards the goals you have setup for your self,

At every step of the way, what you will discover is the beauty of Canada, be it access to fair education, certifications, placements, subsidized programs, access to government backed loans for business etc. But this is a privilege not a right, use it wisely.

& Everything in between

If you have say, 20+ yrs of experience, or are in your late 40s , or mid-career or in a profession that needs; re-certification, local accreditation, additional degrees, very specific Canadian experience, licensing from trade bodies, associations, consumer groups etc. Let me be honest, you are perhaps in the toughest spot from a work perspective in Canada. Your initial time will be hard, it will go slow, the Canadian winters will make it harder. There is no other way to cut it.

Not because you cant achieve those but because the time value of money needed to go through this journey would typically mean that unless you are a 2 income household, where one income at least falls in Part 1 , only then will you have the ability, stability and mental wherewithal left to pursue the things you need/require to become a contributing member of society from a financial earn out perspective. Not to say that is the only way this can come about, it just gets easier if that is the case.

Heres my list of professions, professionals and trades that really need to understand and research what it takes to re-certify, re-apply and be recognized locally to be able to pursue their professional careers because it will take from months to years to be able to do this at a level that most established folks would like to see them selves at:

  1. Teacher
  2. Social worker
  3. Therapist
  4. Doctor
  5. Clinical Researcher
  6. Pharmacist
  7. Dentist
  8. Radiologist
  9. Professor
  10. Electrician
  11. Plumber
  12. Car Mechanic
  13. Veterinarian
  14. Accountant
  15. Lawyer
  16. Tradespeople
  17. Building & Construction specialist
  18. Private Investigator
  19. Financial Advisor
  20. Wealth Manager
  21. Food Technician
  22. Lab Technician
  23. Law Enforcement
  24. Human Resource Professional
  25. Traditional Marketer
  26. Supply Chain Professional
  27. Shipping + Logistics Professional
  28. Truck Driver
  29. Chefs
  30. Barbers
  31. Risk Management Professional

+ Real Costs

Beyond finding work, finding sustainable housing and being aware of the many costs, that most of us/some of us may not be accustomed to is a key thing to figure out upfront. Whilst this may not be a scientific post, its definitely a realistic post from the point of view of the reality of what to expect as some one who has seen both ends of the spectrum.

Happy candidates for migration, (typically) become un happy migrants because the reality distortion field at the time of their acceptance to relocate was so high, their (relocation) objectivity suffered.

This is my plea to all those considering availing any migratory process to dig deep; deeper than hearsay, friends, associates, friends of friends, neighbors and least of all touts/ ala immigration consultants that have never lived in Canada or are not Canadian citizens nor are their firms operating from there.

Most people only see the YouTube accounts from people who are pushing to get views vs helping people out, whilst others are too deep and entrenched that they provide little to no value to a new comer who does not have an objective over view to benchmark against.

Heres a beginners guide to Real Costs as shared by my good friend Aizaz.

This is neither scientific nor arbitrary, it’s some where in between based on experience and prevailing market dynamics for the Extended GTA Suburbia.

The prospect of a better life gets better with planning and with the least amount of surprises. If you do your home work, if you understand what it takes, the likely hood that your outcomes will be far better than those who went without a plan is higher. Much higher.

The declining state of play in many countries and regions is definitely fueling migration globally. Migration may not be for every one, but for those who have decided that this is a step they must take and are about to go across, I hope these are things they consider carefully as they kick off what will perhaps be the biggest transition and commitment they have made in their life.

The parting advice I have is 3 fold:

Be willing to start at the bottom. If you don’t have Canadian experience, you may have to start at a lower-level job than you would in your home country. Be mentally ready for this, if you are not, it will not be pleasant.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. There are many resources available to help immigrants find jobs in Canada. Don’t be afraid to reach out for help if you need it as there are dozens of government programs, services and aids available. If you do not ask you will not receive.

Bring a transferable skill that allows you to build an export oriented business. Imagine if you were in the business of processed food before you migrated. Now think about all the raw ingredients that went into making your product. Evaluate how many of them were Canadian origin. Since you already know the business it becomes much easier for you to source those products in Canada and export to similar businesses globally.

If you want to enhance your outcomes and move towards those in the list shared in Part 1: Subscribe to and read my weekly news letter on personal transformation and entrepreneurship at https://faster.beehiiv.com/

The Ambition Tax: How Corporate Culture in Pakistan is Robbing Graduates of their Professional Growth

The country is facing a number of economic challenges, including high inflation, a large trade deficit, and a growing fiscal deficit. This has led to a challenging business environment, with high levels of uncertainty and volatility.

In such an environment, it is important for businesses to attract and retain talented employees, who can drive growth and innovation. However, the high levels of employer dissatisfaction among the potentially qualified, young professionals make this difficult. As employees are more likely to leave their jobs in search of more challenging and rewarding opportunities for slightly more money.

This creates a vicious cycle, where high levels of turnover reduce the productivity of businesses and limit their ability to drive economic growth. Also not serving the GDP in any significant way, as they are part of a rotational pool of marginally skilled and sub-optimal resources.

Valued only, between players of a closed economy. Meaning that most of their value is not globally competitive and typically doesn’t stem from innovation or growth related skills. It comes from”beating the system” longest.

At the crux of this issue lies the much larger issue of corporations based in Pakistan. Be it local or foreign. The DNA over time for both, is nearly indistinguishable from the perspective of the Ambition Tax placed on the young graduates who join them with hopes and dreams.

So what is this Ambition Tax?

In my mind, ambition tax refers to the idea that the corporate culture in Pakistan is stifling the professional growth of graduates by limiting opportunities for advancement and hindering their ability to fulfill their career aspirations because at their core; these corporations are thinly veiled monopolies or oligopolies protected by subsidies, generational wealth, influence, political leverage and national security related items. Essentially any where else in the world they would not be able to compete. Let alone get to the scale at which they operate in Pakistan.

This is due to a number of factors, including a lack of transparency, stagnant growth, and seemingly large corporatized businesses being run like family-owned businesses vs globally competitive ones. Or large foreign owned businesses run at the whim & fancy of their local leadership who typically are in entrenched roles for decades on average. They serve the $ earning potential of their principals/foreign masters, by dealing with the dirty work in Pakistan and only reporting back on the growth.

These parties are almost also over in the Telco space and some Foreign FMCGs where billions spent to build brands, built many millionaires, setting the wrong work culture and success benchmark of colluding with advertising agencies and television networks to harvest hordes of cash. (Every one f**ing knows this, they just don’t have the courage to call out the insane level of corruption and lack of morality at these organizations)

Under the don’t ask don’t tell principle, what happens at Large Telcos/FMCGs and others in PK is glossed over by printing and sticking FCPA (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act)Rules by American companies and Value statements by most others.

In a crazy development, the local corporate groups have stopped pretending; they now consider their growth ambition linked to breaking the law and consider the speed monies paid as a natural symbiotic relationship between what they do and what the government has to do.

Like kids watching their parents and learning their traits, young graduates watching their employers, their companies, their peers, their bosses all being involved in 5 activities at large

1)Look Away

2)Control the flow of info to retain your job

3)Please the bosses/society by resigning to your fate (much like this kid who who got mugged)

4)Play Politics

5)Do what you are told vs doing any thing extra

In a society that over indexes on “juggar” and under indexes on “ingenuity” and doesn’t know the difference, the only war we are at, is a war with our broken selves as one guy tries to pull the other down, in an attempt to take a piece of the available pie, vs growing the pie.

So whats going on? (At Large Companies)

One of the major reasons for the ambition tax in Pakistani corporations is the lack of transparency in the hiring and promotion processes. Often, positions are filled through nepotism or connections rather than merit and practice of not letting the old guard retire, look at the PSX 100.

You would be hard pressed to find directors in their 30s and 40s who are not family members of the listing sponsors, leading to a dearth of opportunities for young, talented professionals.

Major banks like HBL and others recently announcing they will retain their above 60 staff? The jokes write them selves, it’s a self rewarding club of boomers. They have to be retained because their counter parts operate in the government and its not worth the hassle to train a younger person on how to evade the system.

This creates a vicious cycle where the most competent and qualified individuals are overlooked, and the least capable are given positions of power, hindering the growth and progress of the company as a whole. The few who are capable and make it to some where, spend their time politicking vs focused on professional growth.

Cant blame them either, they went from, “I wish I had a job, to I have a great job, with most creature comforts, I better not f**k this up” when they hit this level, they are married to the roles job security, its monthly check, their nice offices a settled family life and a family co-dependent on their work outcomes.

In such a setting, the ambition is over, it is traded for longevity by subservience to those in charge. Large Pakistani corporations are where hope goes to die.

Banks how could I forget banks….oh Pakistani banks …

When I have taken it upon my self to put out the going ons at most if not all telcos and FMCG companies, Banks along with saiths, also deserve our attention. They are the epitome of ambition killers.

Let’s look at a young grad who gets into an operations role at 35k PKR. The Banks CEOs driver by then has a better total comp package including fuel, meals, and interest free loans. The driver is un skilled but the young grad is skilled. It would take 5 career jumps over 10 years to bring this person who enters the Bank at 35k to make a salary of 250k if they are lucky and suck up the right way and tolerate inhumane treatment from the public at large and their “seniors”.

By this time they are in their forties, have a family, and the charm to stick around, is the servitude the bank buys by offering a house loan. Lock stock and barrel, this 40 year old who looks like he’s 60, traded his caged existence for a loan because the state has no f**ing system to enable this. The banks, the saiths, the Sindh club biradri wins every single time. At the cost of the ambition the youth are trading for basic survivability and life events.

The CEOs wear tailored suits, typically enjoy a good bottle of single malt, I can name a dozen or more such gentlemen but thats not why we are here. Who by no professional conviction have gotten where they are.

They too are security men, who love their jobs and the security it provides to sit in well guarded homes, with their friends over single malt and build the courage to curse the politicians, their very own Sindh club peers, whom they lend to and wash away their sorrows into the night by complaining about the same. Do you not see the hypocrisy?

Most of these bankers/ceos/leaders, their numbers 2s and 3s are has beens, they wouldn’t be able to find globally competitive roles for the shit they deliver to the masses daily in PK. The only reason banks worked in PK is not because they are innovative, but because the government is stupid, and the awaam is land locked from access to debt and loans.

All these details not because Banks and Bankers have issues or me with them, it’s to paint the sorry picture of what is happening at the top and how worlds apart, the growth trajectory is for the young chap who joined the branch. To ever making it to the single malt club(if they so desired, not endorsing they should). They watch from a distance and their lips run dry in the delivery of the word “sir”.

Each Business unit head, each Management Team member runs a fiefdom in these corporations. Their fiefdoms are a microcosm of Pakistani society, where the most marginalized is the most subservient, but since he gets a pay check at the end of each month, he’s conditioned to make the most of the misery of being a personal slave to the business leaders. What do you think this daily torture does to ones ambition? It dies a slow but certain death.

Saiths, their children & the “principal, sponsor” drama….

Next we have the established saiths, their families, with alleged “professional” CEOs. Running large diversified but subsidized businesses because of concessions, cheap real estate, rebates, tax evasion or other such premium deals.

Saiths are winning because they have rigged the system, a system of corrupt politicians and bureaucrats. In a closed economy like Pakistan they win, they compound their wealth, they pretend to care for the people who work for them. They have learnt from their foreign counterparts very well, the only motive is profit at the cost of ambition.

Most of young graduates trade their ambition for job security and a fighting chance to get close to “management” some make it, most don’t and a vast majority die trying. The tiered system ensures, no one learns any thing new, companies don’t need innovation to win, they need legislation, lock-ins, essentially a machinery of inside men.

When you are not playing at the global scale, all you are doing is re aligning the chips to win locally. When you give up global competitiveness you only optimize for local pettiness, in doing so you ensure the learning outcomes of every one are stunted. When you don’t have to compete but rather co-opt your ambition also gives up.

Saiths and sponsors who build and list companies also manipulate their stocks. Every one knows it. We can also name the 4-5 brokers who do this, have been doing it for years, yet we don’t, my post is equally critical of all but the reason for writing is to make the youth aware of the principal/sponsor problem, for them to recognize they are being dealt a short hand. For them to have the fortitude to focus on their growth vs growing into roles that have no meaningful impact on their lives.

Another contributing factor is the stagnant growth of many local corporations. This lack of growth is due to a number of reasons, including poor management(as the saith aren’t some great operators, most are petty crooks in pretty suits), a lack of investment in innovation and research, and a lack of focus on expanding the business. When they make enough money their second generation comes in from Harvard and Yale with bright ideas, who are handed over to family advisors to be brainwashed in to “Abba jis” ways. Therein begins the second wave of more of the same. If kids don’t comply, Abba ji identifies some hired executive “munh bholay bataays” who are more than happy to carry out his wishes.

This can make it difficult for young professionals to find opportunities for advancement and can result in them feeling stuck in their careers, unable to grow and develop their skills when they look outside of Pakistan.

So what can be done?

In order to tackle the ambition tax and create a more inclusive and dynamic corporate culture, it is important to focus on implementing transparency in hiring and promotion processes, investing in growth and innovation, and encouraging the development of professional networks and mentorship programs.

By creating opportunities for young professionals to grow and develop their skills, we can help to create a more dynamic and competitive corporate culture in Pakistan, one that encourages ambition and hard work and not short-term-ism.

Additionally, it is important to support businesses that are run like real businesses, and to encourage a shift away from the traditional preference for family-owned businesses. This can be done by providing incentives for companies that invest in growth and development, and by highlighting the importance of professional management practices.

I have seriously high hopes with the newer generation to take a stand and do whats right, report your crooked bosses to your foreign owners, call a spade a spade, you owe it to your self and to Pakistan to not let this brazen miscarriage of negative outcomes shape your future. You owe none of these people any thing, you do not need to be subservient to any one.

This lack of initiative and innovation can be traced back to the fear of failure and the need to maintain job security in the face of economic uncertainty. This results in a culture where people play it safe and do not take risks, opting instead to be loyal to the owner even when it means making bad or wrong decisions. You owe it to your self to not do this any more.

How this re-wires the brains of the young grads and Why thats a bad thing…

From the perspective of young professionals who remain in safe roles for several years, the major disadvantage is that they miss out on opportunities to learn and grow, both professionally and personally. This can limit their career advancement and lead to a feeling of stagnation and frustration, as they are unable to fulfill their aspirations and reach their full potential.

Compared to their peers globally, young professionals who stay in safe roles for extended periods of time may miss out on opportunities to develop new skills, work on cutting-edge projects, and take on new challenges. This can make them less competitive in the global job market and hinder their ability to advance in their careers. Additionally, working in a stagnant environment with limited opportunities for growth can lead to boredom and disinterest, making it difficult for these individuals to remain engaged and motivated in their work and in their lives, leading to seriously un happy outcomes at home.

How does this Ambition tax destroy the country?

The high level of dissatisfaction among young professionals in Pakistan, where nearly half the population is under the age of 25, is a major concern for the country’s economic growth.

A lack of opportunities for professional development and growth, combined with the fear of failure and the need to maintain job security, can lead to a feeling of boredom and un fulfillment among young professionals. Leading to mass un productivity.

A non productive workforce that has nothing new to contribute, has significant economic consequences, as it increases the cost of hiring and training new employees, and reduces the productivity of businesses. Additionally, when talented young professionals leave the country in search of better opportunities, they take with them their skills, knowledge, and experience, reducing the pool of available talent and limiting the potential for economic growth.

The current economic situation in Pakistan further exacerbates these challenges. The country is facing a number of economic challenges, including high inflation, a large trade deficit, and a growing fiscal deficit. This has led to a challenging business environment, with high levels of uncertainty and volatility.

Unless we take ownership of our own issues and come up with a plan to tackle them. We will continue to shape our outcomes like our past, “stagnant with a high chance of extreme lows”

If you are young and motivated do your self a favor and read the thread below, today. Hard work alone is not going to change your outcomes. You knowing history will help. You deciding to change it, has the potential to change your outcomes.

Historical Context that I covered in my News letter

Made in Pakistan (Pre Nationalization Monopolies)

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (1928–1979) became President of Pakistan (1971–74) on 21 December 1971 after a disastrous end of 1971 war with India. The nationalization programme was implemented for the first time in the history of Pakistan and it was promulgated through three different stages.

I recently came across a fantastic publication. Private Industrial Investment in Pakistan: 1960-1970.

Cambridge Study Purchase Link

Why is this important? It sheds light in to how the economy was structured and who controlled the monopolies before Nationalization eroded economic capital of the country. It also shows some thing very critical, the growth rates of industry by sector.

Far more interesting is that I was able to see for the first time, the interplay between banks, their ownership, the insurance companies and the overall major monopoly families and their directorships across enterprises. It was an eye opener for me. So as you start to build your journey of better outcomes, be mindful of history, understand how made in Pakistan can be extremely successful and the pitfalls you must avoid.

Why share all this. It demonstrates that no-major hands have changed since the creation of the country, its tumultuous nationalization of industries and the present day. The outcomes have worsened for the youngest and brightest. If you still don’t believe that none of the firms, corporation and their sponsors are all in it to win it, at your expense, the chart below fascinated me when I saw it you should give it a read.

What is it?

The inter-connectivity between the groups visualized circa the 60s.

What now?

The first step is to identify there is a problem.

The second step is to figure out what areas are within your control.

The third is to invest your time an energy to not get into this rat race, but instead look for alternates or build alternates that allow you to excel.

Do not be mis-lead by the fake allure of these corporations because sooner rather than later, they will tax your ambition and you too will be a cog in their machinery. Invest in your self by not investing your time and effort to chase a dream that at best is locally competitive and at worse is globally irrelevant.