TCS India to set up a centre of excellence in Pakistan
Pakistan Times Business & Commerce Desk

KARACHI: The Tata Consultancy Services [TCS] of India will be setting up a centre of excellence for software professionals in Pakistan with a `sizable investment'.

This was announced by Vice-President of Tata Consultancy Services, Pankaj M. Baglia, after a meeting with Sindh Minister for Information Technology, Syed Mustafa Kamal, in his office here Friday.

"We are starting in Lahore. We are ready with our resources i.e.faculty and the programme. Now it is just the question of moving forward to get it done", he remarked.

Pankaj was of the view that the students and corporate from Sindh can also come and join this institute and look at it as a facility that is open to all.

He believed that in the IT world there is no such border. "We are communicating all the time with everybody. We look at it as a resource and a global solution that this region can provide in this very sector", he added.

The TCS Vice-President was of the view that a good future in the IT sector in this region would come fast.

He pointed out that the TCS is two and a quarter billion dollars company and has 45,000 associates who go through this programme which is called Initial Learning Programme of Tata Consultancy Services.

Pankanj said they have this proggramme which is used in all our development centre whether in USA, China and Hungary.

"For the first time in the history of Tata Consultancy Services we are giving this programme to somebody else to run it along with us", he said while referring to the proposed centre to be set up in Lahore soon.

He said the IPR of this programme which was initiated in 1968 and evolving till now is millions of dollars.

Sindh Minister for Information Technology, Syed Mustafa Kamal, described his meeting with the officials of the Tata Consultancy Services encouraging.

He hoped that a centre of excellence would soon be established in Karachi as well.

Mustafa Kamal said they have the potential, infrastructure and human resource.

He stated that the government is fully committed towards the promotion of IT.

The Minister said in Sindh they have offered the same facilities as have been made available in Lahore.

He pointed out that the setting up of such a centre in Karachi will also be able to attain the expertise and compete in the international market.

Mustafa Kamal said there should be a special visa for the IT professionals of India and Pakistan for travelling to one another's country.

The President of Pakistan Software Houses Association (PASHA), Ms. Jehan Ara, was also present at the meeting which was also attended by Raman Srinivasan, Head of the Programme Planning and Evaluation of Tata Consultancy Services.●