Digital Nation Pakistan Bill 2025 passed from Senate
- By Web Desk -
- Jan 28, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The Senate approved the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill, 2025 on Tuesday, aiming to modernize Pakistan’s economy, governance, and services by aligning them with international digital standards.
The bill moved by Minister for Law, Justice and Human Rights Azam Nazeer Tarar was passed despite strong protests from opposition parties.This landmark legislation is designed to transform Pakistan into a digitally empowered nation by fostering a dynamic digital society, robust digital economy, and efficient digital governance.
With the recognition of digital technologies’ potential to drive innovation, economic growth, and societal well-being, the bill aims to accelerate sustainable development, enhance public service delivery, and modernize governance for greater transparency and effectiveness.
According to the statement of objects and reasons, the Digital Nation Pakistan Act 2024 seeks to leverage digital advancements for innovation, growth, and improved public services. It focuses on enhancing governance effectiveness and promoting transparency across all sectors.
The bill establishes key governance bodies, including the National Digital Commission (NDC), the Strategic Oversight Committee (SOC), and the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA).
The NDC, chaired by the prime minister, will set the strategic vision for digital initiatives, while the SOC will monitor PDA’s performance, ensuring alignment with the national digital master plan. This master plan aims to streamline digital efforts and eliminate redundancies across federal, provincial and local levels.
A core component of the bill is the National Digital Master plan, which provides a comprehensive strategy for optimizing digital initiatives, improving public service delivery, and driving economic growth. The plan includes detailed implementation steps, resources, timeliness, and risk management strategies to ensure effective execution.
The bill also highlights the need for strong data governance to manage and secure digital data responsibly. It emphasizes the development of digital public infrastructure and a data exchange layer to foster innovation, enhance public services, and safeguard citizen privacy.
The enactment of this legislation reflects Pakistan’s commitment to responsibly utilizing digital technologies to support economic growth, modernize governance, and promote digital inclusion, bringing the nation in line with global best practices in the digital age.