It was around this time, 10 years ago, that I was pulling an all-nighter for work. We had a January 15th deadline to put Netxpress out in the market and I had just completed transcribing interviews and writing out all the stories for that first issue. Y2K bugs were scaring the daylights out of everyone else, and the dynamic duo that made up Rasala Publications, was struggling with a 56.6kpbs internet connection, ICQ and mIRC.

Networking and file sharing, for us atleast, was a distant concept. 3.5″ floppies were what we span-zipped Photoshop designs across. When iOmega drives came in with the 100Mb disc, it was the first time files of that size could be sent outside our premises. Dinky little bubblejet printers and Mustek-brand scanners found their way into the markets and into our office. Our first, used black laser printer (bought on installments) was at least 3 years away. Visiting cards only had one office number and the limited number email addresses that came with the domains and hosting.This was all from 10 years ago. And my reason for remembering it, is to express gratitude for how far the market has come. How MUCH the market has…. wait for it… matured.

When we started our business, we were still exploring Pakistan’s ICT market. This was before the IT Policy and nifty cellphones interfered with our lives. Instaphone ruled the market with the Motorola brick and I think Paktel was already there. The FLAG project was just taking off and we were still having all data traffic being routed through Teleglobe Canada, which went down quite frequently – we just didn’t know it because we weren’t living parallel virtual lives. It was still 2 months before NADRA talked to the media about the then-named NDO project.

The Computer Society of Pakistan was probably the most active association under Ahmed Allauddin’s tenure where the Taj hotel would host B2C Computer Bazaars on a frequent basis. Javed sahab was the head of PSEB and P@SHA was run by Hamza Matin. And though Technology was expensive, Operation Badar and Dr. Atta ur Rahman seemed to be inspiring an entire generation of youngsters into becoming scientists and technology professionals. The telecom sector became privatized and it seemed like cell phones were going to take over Pakistan.

By 2005, you could sense frustration in the eyes of Pakistani ICT professionals, when their industry was STILL referred to as being in its infancy. Probably one of the most underestimated segment of the business community, few sectors or associations were acknowledging ICT for what it was: a change agent. In the West, IT-centric organizations were doing exceedingly well. It seemed that everything that was being influenced by tech, was bringing in the goldmines of fortune for the Web-entrepreneurs. The news of all this money was making its way out to people here and somewhere between 2006 and 2007, the industry and community went through a major transformation.

Pakistan’s economy had been experiencing a boom and it seemed to finally have given tech-savvy companies the stability it needed to grow insanely big. I’ve missed out some of the biggest milestones but I’ll leave them for a longer manuscript.

Perhaps the almost-turn of the decade touches an emotional nerve for us or perhaps its the fact that we’ve had the opportunity to not just live our dream, but watch so many companies live theirs, over the course of these past 10 years. Sure there are so many problems but we’ve got so many people who are willing to not just come up with random solutions, but align solutions with specific problems.

People and companies grow with experience. They become more savvy and more attune with their environment. Technology businesses in Pakistan have certainly come a long way. And it’s more than just doing the right thing or learning – it’s got more to do with the fact that they are still here. They keep their names (as opposed to the anglicized pseudos), put their head down and invest their heart and soul into building their businesses and identities in Pakistan. Technology might operate at the speed of light, unfortunately business doesn’t. Sustainability is tough but today, more than a decade since I remember the first companies began their operations, we have something to show.

We’ve come a long way and have an even longer way to go…. but more on that, later. For now, enjoy the moment and the fact that the industry is out of its infancy and standing on solid ground. Once the environment catches up and realizes that ICT is as integral and critical and nonchalant as it is, we’ll graduate onto the next phase.

Happy New Year!

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