National Assembly Launches AI-Powered System in Push Toward Paperless Parliament

Pakistan’s National Assembly on Monday soft-launched an artificial intelligence-powered parliamentary system, marking what officials described as a historic step towards digital governance, paperless parliamentary operations, and technology-driven legislative processes.

The AI initiative was formally introduced during a ceremony attended by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja, and Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on IT Syed Amin Ul Haque.

The newly introduced “National Assembly AI Pilot” platform includes AI-powered tools for parliamentary question drafting, document summarization, document search, speech and brief preparation, legal analytics, and AI-assisted bill support.

‘Historic Day for Pakistan’s Parliament’

Addressing the ceremony, Syed Amin Ul Haque termed the launch a “historic day” for Pakistan’s parliament and said the National Assembly had become the country’s first legislative institution to introduce an AI-powered parliamentary system.

“Today we are soft-launching artificial intelligence in Pakistan’s parliament,” he said, adding that the initiative would benefit all members of parliament by improving access to information, legislative assistance, and digital tools.

He praised National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq for promoting the adoption of modern technology and said the parliament was moving steadily towards a fully paperless system.

Amin Ul Haque also highlighted the introduction of the government’s secure communication platform “Beep” for parliamentarians, saying the application would enable safer and more secure communication among lawmakers.

He further emphasized the need for the National Assembly to establish its own dedicated AI data center to support future digital parliamentary operations.

Government Pushing Full Parliamentary Digitalization

Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja said the AI initiative was part of the government’s broader digital transformation agenda launched under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

She stated that Pakistan’s parliament had already taken major steps toward modernization, including the establishment of an SDG Secretariat and transitioning the National Assembly toward green energy.

“Today we are moving one step further towards making the entire parliament paperless,” she said.

The minister noted that excessive paper consumption remained a major operational challenge in parliamentary affairs, with large quantities of documents routinely printed regardless of attendance or usage.

She acknowledged that transitioning from traditional systems to digital platforms could initially create difficulties for members but said the long-term benefits in efficiency, transparency, and governance would outweigh the challenges.

Shaza Fatima credited the National Information Technology Board (NITB) for successfully developing and implementing the AI modules and digital systems.

She added that the AI-powered platform would eventually be expanded for all National Assembly members.

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said older generations often hesitate to adopt new technologies, but digital systems ultimately make work easier and more efficient.

He pointed to the extensive use of paper within parliament, particularly during budget sessions, where printed budget documents become difficult to manage physically.

“Our effort is to make parliament paperless,” he said, adding that lawmakers may eventually receive budget documents through USB devices instead of printed copies.

The speaker said that while the complete transition may not be implemented immediately, authorities were aiming to introduce the initiative by the next federal budget cycle.

Ayaz Sadiq said the AI assistant would improve the quality of parliamentary research, legislative discussions, and policymaking.

He also revealed that efforts to establish a dedicated National Assembly data center had been underway for the past two years, confirming that funds for the project had now been allocated in the upcoming budget.

According to the speaker, work on the National Assembly’s data center is expected to begin in July this year as parliament accelerates its digital transformation plans.

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