ISLAMABAD, Mar 05 (APP):Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, on Thursday highlighted the government’s initiatives on digital transformation, cybersecurity, and citizens’ digital rights.
Replying to questions duration question hour in National Assembly, she said Pakistan had passed the Digital Nation Pakistan Act 2025 for the first time, under which the government established the Pakistan Digital Authority and the National Digital Commission.
The commission will be chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and will include chief ministers of all four provinces, federal cabinet members, and regulatory bodies to ensure nationwide representation in digital policy decisions.
According to the minister, the Pakistan Digital Authority will prepare a national digital master plan, which will be approved by the National Digital Commission. All major digital transformation decisions will be taken under the prime minister’s leadership with participation from provincial and federal stakeholders.
Shaza Fatima also highlighted the government’s National AI Policy, recently approved by the federal cabinet. She described it as a “groundbreaking and revolutionary policy” aligned with the prime minister’s vision for a Digital Nation Pakistan. The policy focuses on six pillars, including infrastructure, innovation, training, and secure and ethical deployment of artificial intelligence (AI).
She explained that the AI framework will address concerns such as misinformation, disinformation, children’s online safety, and citizens’ privacy. The policy aims to ensure that AI applications in Pakistan follow ethical standards and minimize biases in AI systems.
On cybersecurity, the minister said Pakistan already has an approved national cybersecurity framework designed to safeguard public-sector digital infrastructure. She noted that Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) have been established at both federal and provincial levels. These teams work with the National Telecommunication and Information Security Board (NTISB) to protect government data, prevent cyberattacks, and monitor threats such as phishing attempts.
The minister added that the federal government has digitized its operations through the e-Office system, making the federal government largely paperless. The system has reduced file processing time from 25 days to around four days and improved transparency through dashboard monitoring by the prime minister. Parliament, courts, and 42 federal departments are also gradually shifting to the digital system.
Addressing citizens’ digital rights and connectivity, Shaza Fatima said Pakistan had recently landed three new submarine internet cables to improve global connectivity. She also announced that right-of-way charges for fiberization would be removed to accelerate broadband infrastructure across the country.
Currently, only about 2–3% of Pakistan’s population uses fiber internet, and only 16% of telecom towers are fiberized, she said. The government aims to increase tower fiberization to 60% to enable faster internet and support future technologies such as 5G.
The minister further announced that a spectrum auction scheduled for March 10 would add around 600 MHz of additional spectrum, significantly improving mobile internet speed across the country. She said Pakistan’s current spectrum capacity of 274 MHz is insufficient for its large population.
If the auction is successful, the government plans to introduce 5G services in five major cities by the end of 2026, marking Pakistan’s first major rollout of the next-generation mobile network.
Shaza Fatima also said that Pakistan remains committed to protecting its digital borders and national cybersecurity. She emphasized that the government would continue upgrading web management systems and cybersecurity infrastructure to safeguard national data and communication networks.
The minister stated that protecting Pakistan’s digital space is a matter of national security, and the government will invest all necessary resources to ensure the country’s digital systems remain secure.
Shaza Fatima Khawaja, said the government will take all necessary steps to protect citizens’ data and strengthen the country’s digital infrastructure.
She added that under Pakistan’s data protection laws, safeguarding citizens’ personal data is the government’s responsibility and there will be “zero compromise” on privacy and security.
She emphasized that the government is ready to invest whatever resources are required in cybersecurity technologies, including software and hardware systems.
Pakistan’s digital transformation is aimed at empowering citizens, not monitoring them. She explained that digital services and mobile applications are being introduced so that people can access government services from their homes without visiting public offices.
The minister said digitization will help eliminate red tape and allow citizens to receive services similar to those available in developed countries. Through mobile applications and interoperable data systems, individuals will be able to access various government services online.
Addressing a recent satellite broadcasting issue, the minister clarified that the government immediately investigated the problem involving Pakistan’s national satellite system operated by PakSat. She said the issue involved a temporary frequency overlap that briefly allowed an external message to appear on certain channels.
Authorities quickly identified the technical problem and resolved it, she said, adding that corrective measures are being implemented to prevent similar incidents in the future.
One of the key steps includes shifting major television networks such as Geo News and ARY News from older analog systems to digital transmission, which will encrypt data and enhance broadcast security.
The minister noted that several government institutions and regulatory bodies worked together to respond to the incident and ensure that Pakistan’s communication systems remained secure.