The federal government of Pakistan has announced a complete exemption for call centres from the working hours restrictions due to the ongoing energy crisis on Friday.
According to the details, the Federal Minister for Information Technology (IT) and Telecom, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, has announced a major relief for call centres and business process outsourcing companies across the country.
Due to the ongoing energy crisis, because of the tense situation between the United States (US), Israel, and Iran, early closure restrictions have been imposed on commercial centres and markets.
The situation is expected to get better since a two-week ceasefire has been announced between the two countries, brokered by Pakistan.
Pakistan call centres early closure
The call centres have been given a complete exemption from these restrictions.
The federal minister clarified that call centres do not need to close at the specified time under the energy conservation campaign. Adding that they can continue their operations around the clock.
In addition to this, in view of the arrival of foreign delegations for the US-Iran peace talks, which are to be held in Islamabad on April 10 and 11, a two-day local holiday has been announced in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
However, these holidays will also not apply to call centres, so that the IT sector is not affected since it plays a key role in the country’s economy.
The minister admitted that there has been a delay in the district administration reaching all stakeholders with the exemption information.
Due to this, there are some challenges in implementation. However, the government is trying to resolve these issues so that call centres do not face any kind of hurdle.
The IT Minister has further directed to approach the Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) for resolving any issues faced by call centres.
Redressal of complaints within 24 hours will be ensured through the PSEB portal.
This is especially for complaints related to security or working hours.
The government says that the BPO industry is an important pillar of Pakistan’s digital economy.
Therefore, providing it with all possible facilities is a priority. Both PSEB members and non-members can benefit from this support desk.
