The federal government has officially established the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA), a key component of the Digital Nation Bill passed earlier this year. A notification issued by the Cabinet Division on August 19 confirmed the authority’s creation and the appointment of its first leadership, marking a major move toward streamlining Pakistan’s digital systems.
The PDA will work under the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication. Specifically, its main responsibilities include leading Pakistan’s digital transformation, implementing the National Digital Master Plan, monitoring digital projects, and additionally, creating a unified digital identity system that connects citizens’ information across government services, the economy, and social programs. Overall, these reforms will lay the foundation for a digital economy, digital governance, and a more connected society.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appointed Dr. Sohail Munir as the chairperson and Dr. Muhammad J. Sear as one of the two authority members. Both have been given five-year terms. Dr. Munir is a digital transformation expert currently advising the Abu Dhabi Government and has worked on large-scale e-governance and smart city initiatives. Dr. Sear, the CEO of UAE startup Simpli Human, has experience advising governments and global organizations on digital development. The government will announce the second member later.
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In June, a search committee led by Minister for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja made these appointments to ensure the authority benefits from top-level global expertise.
The Pakistan Digital Authority will oversee national digital initiatives, push data governance standards, review technology projects, guide cloud infrastructure compliance, and build a national data strategy to reduce silos across government institutions. It will also focus on reducing Pakistan’s digital divide, as currently, only about 40% of the population has stable internet access.
The authority’s formation comes at a crucial time, as Pakistan’s IT sector posted 12% year-over-year export growth in FY2025, signaling strong momentum in the industry.
