ISLAMABAD: Pakistan-based IT companies are making advances in international markets through their mobile and gaming apps, a statement released by Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB) said. PSEB, created in 1995, has been promoting creative and conceptual mobile apps, the statement said, adding that increasing sales in foreign markets is important for growth of local IT companies. There are plenty of IT companies in Pakistan serving foreign clients and possessing international standard accreditation. These include Mindstorm studios’, `GameView Studios’, `PepperPK’ `TkXel’ and several others, the statement added. `TkXel’ has introduced several popular mobile apps out of a university computer lab in Lahore. Pakistan’s `Pepper Pk’ has a foreign award for developing paid apps for the BlackBerry platform which have topped rankings in Blackberry’s World App Store. Similarly, the hugely popular ‘Cricket companion’ app is the creation of Pakistani start-up, Tricast Media. Noting successes achieved by Pakistanis in the infotainment industry, the statement praised US-born ‘Game of Thrones’ producer Hameed Shaukat. Mir Zafar Ali, a noted Pakistani Visual Effects Artist, has worked in hit films including The Golden Compass, Life of Pi and Frozen and has been honored with three Oscar awards for his work. Novaira Masood is another prominent name in entertainment circles and is famous for handling animation and special effects of several popular movies of Hollywood including Maleficent, A Christmas Carol, Thor, Transformers 3 and Jack the Giant Slayer. Laraib Atta is another emerging talent in Pakistan and is famous for her visual arts creations in popular Hollywood flicks including X-men, Godzilla and gravity. Managing director of PSEB Asim Shehryar said that IT companies are being facilitated through several projects and programmes aimed at assimilating new technologies. PSEB is also making efforts to provide office spaces and incubation centers for emerging IT companies.