Digital Nation Pakistan Act 2025: Master Plan to Complete by August 2025
The Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom convened under the chairpersonship of Senator Palwasha Khan to discuss the federal government’s digitalization efforts, where the Secretary of IT presented a detailed briefing on the Digital Nation Pakistan Act 2025.
The Secretary emphasized that Pakistan cannot truly embrace digitalization without first digitizing the national identity system. “Until our ID becomes digital, we cannot move forward with meaningful digital reforms,” he said. The National Digital Master Plan, a blueprint for Pakistan’s digital future, is currently in the final stages and will be completed by August 2025.
As part of the DEEP (Digital Economy Enhancement Project), a data exchange layer is being developed to facilitate secure inter-agency data sharing. The Secretary also highlighted that the Pakistan Digital Authority will serve as a national regulator, while a newly formed National Digital Commission, comprising all provincial chief ministers, will approve and oversee the plan’s rollout.
Addressing concerns over provincial jurisdiction, Senator Kamran Murtaza questioned whether the Commission could interfere with provincial autonomy. The Secretary responded that all provinces are partners in the Commission, citing the successful consensus on the federal Cloud First Policy as evidence of collaborative digital governance.
Digital Nation Pakistan Act 2025: Progress, Promises, and the Roadblocks Ahead
The federal government has taken a cautiously structured approach to digital transformation, aiming to build an inclusive ecosystem through legislation and stakeholder participation. The Digital Nation Pakistan Act 2025 signals a serious commitment to institutionalizing reforms, but its effectiveness will hinge on inter-provincial cooperation and robust implementation.
Including all provincial leaders in the National Digital Commission is a big step toward reducing federal-provincial tensions that have slowed down Pakistan’s digital progress. However, critics argue that actual progress on the ground remains slow. While policy announcements are ambitious, Pakistan still lags in key infrastructure such as rural internet access, cloud services standardization, and data privacy regulations.
The government’s decision to involve provinces and introduce central regulatory structures like the Pakistan Digital Authority reflects lessons learnt from past fragmented efforts. But success will require not just plans and policies but consistent execution, skilled human resources, and strong cybersecurity governance; and on that front, Pakistan still has a long way to go!
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