Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday approved a search and selection committee for recommending the appointment of members of the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) under the Digital Nation Pakistan Act.

Enacted in January this year, the act aimed to transform Pakistan into a “digital nation” by enabling a digital society, digital economy, and digital governance. The bill was approved by the federal cabinet in June 2024.

The bill said it was expedient to enable the people to become a digital nation by leveraging the transformative power of digital technologies, responsible use of data, innovative service delivery models and robust digital public infrastructure to accelerate sustainable economic development, improve citizen well-being, and modernise governance frameworks for efficient and effective public service delivery.

According to a notification issued today by the ministry of IT and telecommunication, “the search committee will appoint a chairperson and two members of the PDA.”

Federal Minister for IT Shaza Fatima Khawaja has been appointed as the convener of the search committee.

The committee will recommend three candidates for each position and make recommendations regarding salaries and benefits of the chairman and members.

Other members of the committee include the federal minister for the economic affairs division, as well as secretaries of the cabinet division, establishment division and IT and telecom division.

The Digital Nation Bill encompasses the establishment of three new bodies. The PDA will comprise a chairperson and two members, to develop, implement, and monitor the national digital master plan. This authority will also establish a monitoring and evaluation framework for digital transformation projects.

The srategic oversight committee will be headed by the IT minister, with secretaries of IT, finance, and planning, and representatives from the private sector as its members.

Upon being passed, Chairman of the NA committee Syed Aminul Haque highlighted the importance of approving the bill, stating that it was essential to transform Pakistan into a digital nation.

“The aim is to create a progressive digital society as well as promote a thriving digital economy, for which we need to establish a shared digital governance ecosystem,” Haque said, adding that all measures should not be viewed through the political lens.

He stressed that digitisation was a technical matter — a need of the times.