Shoab Ahmed Khan elected P@SHA chairman after rivals step aside
The former chairman will lead the software houses association from 2026 to 2028, with Wahab Yunus and Samad Saleem as his deputies, weeks after a ruling in a dispute over the previous chairman's removal.
Dr Shoab Ahmed Khan has been elected unopposed as chairman of the Pakistan Software Houses Association for IT and ITeS, known as P@SHA, for the 2026 to 2028 term.
Two other contenders, former chairman Muhammad Zohaib Khan and committee member Dr Faisal Kamiran, withdrew their nominations in his favour. Wahab Yunus was elected senior vice chairman and Samad Saleem vice chairman, as announced on 30 September.
Khan, an academic and technology sector leader, listed his priorities as working with the government on technology policy, speeding up skills development and positioning Pakistan as a destination for IT innovation and investment. The association would also work to create conditions in which local startups can grow and established technology companies can expand globally, he said.
Seven seats for corporate members
Members voted on 17 September at polling stations in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, and the results were announced as provisional pending the association's annual general meeting on 30 September. The 12 member committee has seven seats for corporate class members, three for associate members and two reserved for women.
Those elected, with their companies, were Shoab Ahmed Khan (CARE), Faisal Kamiran (ADDO AI), Khushnood Aftab (Viper Technology), Mohammad Zohaib Khan (A2Z Creatorz), Muhammad Azam Mughal (SecureBeans), Samad Saleem (Digi Trends), Syed Junaid Ahmad (Softoo), Ahmed Javed Vaseer (Ing.Com Softworks), Shaikh Ayaz Ali (KNOATIV), Wahab Yunus (Eraflip Tech), Fatima Asad Said (Abacus Consulting Technology) and Shawana Iftikhar (Work Generations). Both Khan and Zohaib Khan are former chairmen of the association.
A ruling before the vote
The vote followed a dispute at the top of the association. On 28 August the Directorate General of Trade Organizations declared a no confidence resolution against then chairman Sajjad Mustafa Syed null and void and restored him for the rest of his 2024 to 2026 term. The motion had received eight votes, short of the three quarters majority required from the 12 member committee.
P@SHA is the main industry body for software houses and IT services firms, and it runs the annual P@SHA ICT Awards, which this year were scheduled for 22 September in Karachi. The new committee takes office as the sector works towards the government's target of $10 billion in annual IT exports by FY29.
