ISLAMABAD, Dec 16 (APP):Pakistan’s digital transformation journey received a major international endorsement, as GovInsider featured Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, in its prestigious “Meet the Women in GovTech 2025” series.
The GovInsider put the spotlight on the country’s digital transformation and highlights a Pakistani woman at the forefront of the government’s drive, said a press release issued here Tuesday.
GovInsider, one of the world’s most influential publications covering government innovation and public-sector technology, followed by global policymakers and technology experts, highlights only initiatives that show real impact and clear progress.
Ms. Khawaja’s interview marks an important moment for Pakistan, indicating growing international attention to the country’s efforts to modernise government services, expand digital access, and develop a technology-driven economy under Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s Digital Pakistan vision, it further said.
In her interview with GovInsider, Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja explained Pakistan’s approach to digital transformation. She described Pakistan’s digital reform process as practical and evidencebased.
The policies are shaped by lessons from other countries, consultations with sector experts who work directly with citizens, and input from both federal and provincial stakeholders. Most importantly, she emphasised that Pakistan’s digital policies are designed with the least advantaged citizens in mind; ensuring reforms reach women, rural populations, low-income households, and people with disabilities, the press release said.
The minister highlighted the Digital Economy Enhancement Project (DEEP) as the backbone of Pakistan’s digital future. The initiative is building a national digital stack comprising secure data exchange, digital identity, and a universal payment interface — foundational systems intended to expand access to formal services, improve governance efficiency, and unlock innovation across the economy.
Enabled by the Digital Nation Pakistan Act, 2025, and the newly approved National Artificial Intelligence Policy, DEEP represents one of the most ambitious digital governance initiatives in the country’s history.
A key milestone discussed in the interview was the rapid transition of Pakistan’s federal government to a paperless system through the rollout of E-Office across ministries and departments. Within a year, the federal administration has moved to digital workflows that enhances transparency, enabling real-time oversight, and generating measurable savings for the public exchequer.
The reform aligns closely with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s emphasis on efficiency, accountability, and sustainability in governance. Connectivity emerged as another central theme of the conversation. The minister shared how the expansion of fibre and 4G networks into remote areas has already transformed education outcomes, particularly for girls. Digital access has enabled rural teachers and students to connect with national curricula, online learning platforms, and university pathways that were once limited to urban centres — a shift she described as one of the most powerful illustrations of technology’s social impact.
Looking to the future, Khawaja spoke about the role of artificial intelligence in making government services more accessible and trustworthy. Pakistan is exploring multilingual, AI-powered citizen interfaces that operate across voice, messaging platforms, and low-end mobile channels, ensuring that digital government does not exclude citizens with limited literacy or connectivity, the press release further said.
The interview also highlighted the upcoming Citizen Services Design Lab, a government-led innovation space focused on human-centred design and cocreation. The lab aims to bring underserved communities directly into the design of public services, prioritising solutions that work for the hardest-to reach segments of society rather than optimising only for digitally fluent users.
