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January 27, 2025The Senate Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication approved the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill 2025 with a majority vote on Monday, 27 January. The Committee meeting was chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan.
The Digital Nation Pakistan Bill, which was introduced in the Senate by IT Minister Shaza Khawaja, is one in a series of measures being undertaken by the MOITT to transform Pakistan into “a holistic digital ecosystem”. The Bill calls for the establishment of three bodies: the National Digital Commission (NDC), to be headed by the Prime Minister, to oversee the development and implementation of the National Digital Master Plan; the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) to carry out the implementation; and the Strategic Oversight Committee (SOC), to be headed by the IT Minister, to act as an ‘impartial’ oversight body.
The Bill was opposed in the Senate hearing by senators from JUI and PTI, including JUI Senator Kamran Murtaza, who proposed amendments to Section 7 of the Bill while questioning the urgency with which the Bill had progressed through the Houses. He recommended that the PDA contain four members instead of two; one from each province. Senator Manzoor Kakar stressed the need for fair provincial funding under the proposed law. Senator Palwasha Khan raised concerns over the lack of data protection legislation in Pakistan, and the deprioritisation of that over this Bill.
Despite the debate and concerns raised, the Bill was approved with a majority vote. Senator Murtaza’s proposed amendments did not gain approval.
