Digital Nation Pakistan bill tabled in NA

ISLAMABAD: The Digital Nation Pakistan Bill, 2024 aimed at transforming Pakistan into a digital nation, enabling a digital society, digital economy and digital governance was introduced in the National Assembly on Monday.

The bill is aimed at enabling the people of Pakistan to become a digital nation by leveraging the transformative power of digital technologies, responsible use of data, innovative service models, and robust digital public infrastructure to accelerate sustainable economic development, improve citizen well-being, and modernise governance frameworks for efficient and effective public service delivery.

The bill introduced by the Minister of State for Information Technology, Shaza Fatima Khawaja will envisage the establishment of the National Digital Commission and the Pakistan Digital Authority which will provide strategic direction, governance, and operational oversight to achieve these objectives and other related matters. The National Digital Commission would be headed by the prime minister and will also comprise four chief ministers, the relevant federal minister, the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, the Chairmen of Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Nadra, the Federal Board of Revenue and Security Exchange Commission of Pakistan and the Chairperson of Pakistan Digital Authority.

It shall prescribe the required policy, provide governance and ensure necessary coordination amongst federal, provincial, and sectoral bodies to achieve the objectives of a digital nation and align national digital transformation with economic growth, effective governance and societal development. Upon the commencement of this Act, there shall be an Authority to be called Pakistan Digital Authority for carrying out the purposes of this Act.

The Pakistan Digital Authority shall consist of a chairperson and two additional members to be appointed by the prime minister. There shall be a Strategic Oversight Committee to monitor and evaluate the performance of the Authority, compliance and alignment with the strategic objectives formulated by the National Digital Commission and make necessary recommendations. It shall develop and propose to the Commission for approval, a comprehensive masterplan called the national digital masterplan.