Jehan Ara, President of PASHA, the Pakistan Software association is a multi-faceted personality. An avid tweeter and Facebook addict, she has the ability to be the single voice of the fledgling IT sector, build partnerships with India and all countries across the Asia Oceanic region and still have fun and friendly relationships everywhere – a true role model for young women everywhere including the millions in Indian IT. The reciprocal visit of a team of IT CEOs from Pakistan to India after the first visit by some of us to Karachi and Lahore last year reinforced the feeling that politics and economics permitting, there is much to be gained by a peace initiative that could enable Indian and IT firms to collaborate in global markets. The strength of the Software products firms in Pakistan can be gathered from two factoids – two companies have listed on the Nasdaq and one has produced the official cricket game for the World Cup. The deliberations on business opportunities during the visit were intense and carried forward the wide ranging talks that had been held in Pakistan on a potential two to five billion dollar collaborative IT opportunity where some outstanding products developed on both sides could be deployed in key markets abroad and in the medium term, Indian services companies could embed some products into the solutions offered to global customers. An identification of such opportunities was the first focus area identified. The second was skills development in the area of product architecture and design where honing the capabilities of aspiring young people on both sides of the border could result in the creation of a product eco-system that could finally challenge the best the Western world has to offer. The transaction of business is of course the next stage of what has started as many ideas of cooperation that will have to pass the stress test of perceptions and frequent hostilities between the two countries. However the fact that a beginning had been made was evident when all of us on the Aman ki Asha Committee settled down with our computers in front of TV screens in our respective countries to watch the India-Pak World Cup Cricket semi-final. The hostilities were gone and as the match progressed, the desire for collaboration and engagement seemed to extend from our cordial e-mail exchanges to the Mohali pitch where the two Prime Ministers demonstrated bonhomie during and after the game and the feeling of warmth was shared by players as well as spectators from both sides of the border. Of course a few jingoistic statements and newspaper headlines continue to reflect old emotions of distrust but there are many of us who hope that people and businesses will push for the mutual harmony and collaborative success that has thus far evaded the two countries! The softer side of the Aman ki Asha partnership was of course the charm the Pakistani ladies displayed during their visit, the group’s willingness to try everything, from dhaba food on the Mumbai Pune Expressway to singing duets at evening functions. And one key deliverable that emerged was a comprehensive youth partnership that could see a new generation attempting to reach hands across the border to build bridges between the countries. All this and more can be achieved only with the active support of the two Governments since the stakes are high a prolonged period of peace and improving relations would be required for many of the initiatives to get off the ground. More interactions and creation of a blueprint for collaboration could be the next tentative steps. The spirit of Aman ki Asha burns bright and the participants look forward to sustaining the glow!