The Ongoing IT Revolution and Security Implications for Pakistan

and the Indians DESERVE to be Congratualted for what they have achieved in this field.

and to talk about India`s IT poweress being a threat to our existence is very nineteenth century.

``This article was written for a Pakistani newspaper with the intention of stimulating discussion on the topic. India was used as a convenient vehicle to provoke action, hence the ``jingoistic`` tone of the article.``

Alas..this is why our common man can never stand up..rather than encouraging them to lookout for the world of opportunities that await them..you journalists choose to discourage them but telling them all the scary stories and myths that this is not gonna work..that is not gonna work...this government is a loser...the IT policy is a farce..India is going to eat you up...and all the crap...

WHY CAN`T YOU PEOPLE GIVE HOPE TO THE COMMON MAN.

WHY NOT ARTICLES TELLING THEM WHAT COURSE OF ACTION TO TAKE IN ORDER TO IMPROVE THEIR SKILLS AND EVENTUALLY THEIR LIVES.

WHY NOT OUTLINE AN IT POLICY YOURSELF,IF YOU PPL THINK YOU ARE THAT SMART,AND PUBLISH IT FOR CRITICISM FROM THE PUBLIC.

(and btw. its against the spirit of our country and religion to be jealous of ANYONE`s succeess.If you don`t like them up there then go out..work harder and try to outshine them...you have all my best wishes!)

SORRY for taking up soo much space BUT couldn`t take anymore of this IT crap..showing as if we were all idiots sitting in Pakistan knowing nothing..as if now India was capable of swollowing us...as if we had NO future in the IT field..and that the Indians are the only technologically Geniouses out there...and that we should excel in IT, ONLY to neutralize the threat from India!

my my....what a whole lot of misunderstandings..on both sides of the border...Frankly speaking in this discussion I have found Indians to be the more composed and polite of the two,though they have EVERY right to be proud of their accomplishments.

and i agree veeresh...cricket suxs..

MORE POWER TO THE PEOPLE.

MORE POWER TO PAKISTAN.

Re: crypto

Please don`t encourage and excite gymno with conversations about operating systems and IT skills. This board can do without the orgasmic response it will evoke.

Regards,

RS

Re: taimurmalik

Your point about non-residents contributing to development back home is applicable to India too and is a jaded topic...but a critical one nevertheless.

It`s a vicious chicken-and-egg problem. How do you go back and do business in the corrupt, inefficient, and bureaucratic environment? But then without fresh blood and western management ideas brought by non-residents, things will never change. So which happens first?

AN EDUCATED MIND

I have been aluding to this for so long, never has come such a frank admission from an educated pakistani. Yes, an anglicised, most probably based in the west has summed the pakistani mind, to get some response from them it is important to couch any thing in a `threat from india` perspective.

Here what is important is the view of the educated, they are the one fomenting the paranoia, the hatred. These are pakistanis, post independance generation, all hell bent on passing the venom, using the new language, using the new medium.

These are the mullahs of the chowk, mullahs of the west, while thier counterparts in the madrassa are sending the jihadists to kill. It is these mullahs of the chowk, waiting for the next issue of dawn to read about the death in kashmir. It is the same editor, the same mind set that puts the death news in the front pages, they know what pakistanis want.

Thank you sac, at times truth spills out, even through the keyboard.

Taimurmalik #52

Malik Sahib! aap to aisay nah thay. Hain Ji?

Anyway, since you are out of closet now, please accept my warmest welcome. It is never too late:)

UMAIR # 36
Umair thanks for writing your post.

SAC # 37

I suggest that you stay away from Zionists and their ideology. Anything that a ``visionary`` says is not necessarily true. Common sense rules.

FerozK

Read this and eat your heart out, Dr. Kivorkian.

THE NEWS
Internet facility to be extended to 270 cities soon: Dr. Atta


ISLAMABAD: Minister for Science and Technology Dr. Atta ur Rehman has said that the Internet facility will be extended to 270 cities and villages across the county in the next two months.

He said that the Internet in Pakistan was limited to only 29 cities which had been extended to 92 cities and villages. The Minister said this work was done on an emergency basis and Internet cafes were being set up at various district post offices and petrol stations throughout he country.

sac #37:

[..... India was used as a convenient vehicle to provoke action, hence the ``jingoistic`` tone of the article...... AND .... Pakistan needs to harness that obsession with India for its own good.]

I understand where you are coming from sac, but I still strongly disagree with your approach.


taimurmalik # 49, 50, 51, & 52.

[Alas..this is why our common man can never stand up..rather than encouraging them to lookout for the world of opportunities that await them..you journalists choose to discourage them but telling them all the scary stories and myths that this is not gonna work..that is not gonna work...this government is a loser...the IT policy is a farce..India is going to eat you up...and all the crap...] and [......If you don`t like them up there then go out..work harder and try to outshine them...you have all my best wishes!]

hear -- hear! I applaud your thinking young man.

You have the right attitude. And if other young men there share your vision then there is still some hope left.

regards,

t

Jay # 55

For once, I fully agree with you.

dear sac

``After Kargil, the India of old is no more.``

whatever happened to the old india? i miss it, dammit. if we shall suddenly up and become an efficient, wholesome and forward-looking nation about to embrace success and cleanliness, i shall be most upset.

i would hesitate in laying as great store to this `infotech` as you have, but then i`m an old-fashioned newspaper man.

i point out to you the apparent failure of several `dot.coms` in my city, bombay, including indiainfo.com, run by another famous indian-american, raj koneru, whom you have forgotten to list.

i also point to you laloo yadav, who immortally said: ``yeh IT-YT kya hai?``

regards

aakar patel

taimurmalik:

``YOU people out there can be MOST helpful in building a better Pakistan.There should be networks among expats and locals that help improve IT exports from the country.``

Yes if Pakistani expatriates stop gloating on their own successes and stop engageing in the vilest forms of social inbreeding, you have a point there. If people actually intiate such networks instead of thinking about them or fantasizing. Our sense of patriotism is limited to the Pakistan Day Parades, and waving our flag, and singing the national anthem. When it gets down to the nitty gritty, we scatter like roaches under Raid attack.

Pakistanis are a KHUDGARZ QAUM, selfish self-serving people. We have to change our mentality before dreaming about national growth.

For those of us discussing what the govt should and shouldn`t do to encourage IT, please read the following article by N R Narayana Murthy. He is head of Infosys Technologies and widely respected in Indian business circles. I thought the article was quite realistic and down-to-earth.

http://www.timesofindia.com/today/26repu4.htm

India`s Silicon Valleys: Problems and prospects

Excerpt:

``What must the Government do to help India`s Software Capitals become Silicon Valleys?

``Most of the start-ups in Silicon Valley are either managed or owned by individuals of Asian descent. A large number of these people are Indians. So, one might ask why this kind of organisation is not visible in India`s Silicon Valleys. I believe that the answer to this question lies in the fact that in mixed and developing economies like India, the Government retains tremendous control over the pace of progress of the country. Unless the government implements certain policies that support our software industry, it is almost impossible for the industry to build a Silicon Valley of international standards.

``There are many initiatives that the Government needs to take up in order to aid the IT industry. These include fostering competition and enhancing the velocity of business, especially business opportunities in the public sector. The Government should also aim to bring transparency to critical decision-making processes and policy formulation. Another goal of the government should be the creation of suitable conditions for increased entrepreneurial activity. Rationalising the duty structure and liberalising rules for Internet, data and voice communication will also aid our country`s software capitals in becoming silicon valleys. The government should also try to provide an impetus to education and facilitate easier asset acquisition and listing on stock exchanges for Indian companies abroad. Finally, it should try to encourage venture capital support and create a regulatory framework that enables Indian companies to become world-class.

``What should we in the IT industry do for our silicon centres?

The awareness of the benefits of Information Technology is low in India, particularly in the Government, the public sector and the small-scale sector. In general, there is great enthusiasm about IT among potential users but they are, often, sceptical of its role in their own establishments. The onus is on us to erase such perceptions and to inspire confidence and trust in our ability to deliver quality products within budgeted cost and time. We need to work on the prices of our products and/or services as well as on providing a global quality of service. We should also try to provide up-to-date products to Indian users as well as focus our operations. All of these courses of action will, naturally, increase our business, and the resulting profits can consequently be utilised in improving our silicon centres.``

Sac #37

``This article was written for a Pakistani newspaper with the intention of stimulating discussion on the topic. India was used as a convenient vehicle to provoke action, hence the ``jingoistic`` tone of the article. ``

Peace! Here is the same olive branch that Sharif extended to Vajpayee in Lahore.

May I suggest sending the article to Frontier Post? They seem to specialize in publishing shoddy, half-baked articles.

You`re welcome.

Record number of Indians and Pakistanis are leaving India and Pakistan to immigrate to USA, UK, Australia, Japan, South Africa anywhere but the Indian subcontinent. Looks like no one wants to live in India and Pakistan.

http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/aug2000-daily/28-08-2000/oped/o3.htm

re umairr #36:

PTCL is not going to be privatized anytime soon. These things usually happen when everybody else is doing it and there is only a small window of opportunity. We had that 2-3 years back when PTCL was valued at around $11 billion dollars. I doubt if we`ll even get a billion for it now. That is why the government has shelved all plans for it privatization.

I also disagree with the view expressed by some Pakistanis(and some Indians) that Pakistan needs to implement its IT plans without regard to India. Didn`t the Soviet Union have a credible nuclear deterrent? Look at them now. The worst thing we can do right now would be to turn inwards.We are not a Switzerland and we cannot afford the luxury of starting from scratch. There are 2 choices.

Either accept Indian hagemony, stop making a ruckus about Kashmir and console ourselves with victories on the cricket field. This scenario seems more likely than the other one which calls for rather difficult choices. Accept the fact that the only cooperation in the foreseeable future that we`ll have with India would be on the economic front only.Enter into mutually beneficial scenarios involving trade and commerce and a unified market. And maybe in a few decades the two countries would not need to spend the billions they are spending on defence.

And veeresh: At your age maybe all one can think about is getting a new pair of balls....thanks but no thanks :)

later

-sac