India can help make Pak BPOs stronger: Murthy

Indian companies can help Pakistan strengthen its IT-BPO industry by sharing expertise and best practices with their Pakistani counterparts, Infosys Chief Mentor NR Narayana Murthy said.

Speaking at an Indo-Pak business meet, Murthy said Pakistan, like India, has a talented pool of workers who speak English and can be hired at competitive cost.

"There is an ever increasing demand for IT-BPO services particularly as Western nations produce fewer IT graduates.

All that needs to be done is to develop Pakistan as a destination of choice for international clients," Murthy said.

He added that revenue from the IT-BPO sector for Pakistan stood at $300 million in 2004. "This is where India can help. In the spirit of cooperation Indian companies could share their expertise with Pakistani counterparts," he said.

Asked if Infosys would set up centres in Pakistan, Murthy said, "At an appropriate time when the environment is conducive we may look at it."

Murthy said, "Indian technical institutes could collaborate an form alliances with Pakistani schools and colleges for designing the curriculum. This would help produce a talent pool for meeting the demand of the international IT market," he added.