ISLAMABAD: In a move to operationalise the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA), the government has constituted a Search and Selection Committee to appoint the chairperson and two members of the authority.

The committee, approved by the prime minister, is chaired by Minister for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima. Its members include the minister for economic affairs, minister of state for railways, minister of state for finance, and the secretaries of establishment, cabinet and IT & telecom divisions. Salman Akhtar, a member of the Pakistan Revenue Automation Ltd Board, is also part of the committee.

The committee is responsible for identifying and shortlisting suitable candidates for the three key positions and will recommend three candidates for each role to the prime minister, based on qualifications and experience.

It has also been tasked with proposing salary packages and other benefits for the selected candidates and is authorised to engage with shortlisted individuals to finalise employment terms.

The initiative is aligned with the Digital Nation Pakistan Act, 2025, under which three new bodies will be established — the Pakistan Digital Authority, Strategic Oversight Committee (SOC), and National Digital Commission (NDC).

The PDA will be responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring the National Digital Master Plan. Once its chairperson and members are appointed, the authority will establish a monitoring and evaluation framework for digital transformation projects across the country.

Talking to Dawn, Shaza Fatima said that the key objective of the PDA is to establish a digital economy, ensure governance of economy-related government departments, and facilitate the digitisation of all public services. This, she said, would enhance transparency and improve the efficiency of government departments.

According to her, the new rules under the 2025 Act would help reduce corruption and improve public service delivery by minimising reliance on paperwork, while also promoting the digital economy.

She emphasised that digitisation requires the involvement of all stakeholders, including provincial governments, to achieve the country’s digital transformation goals. “The operationalisation of the PDA would reduce bureaucratic hurdles in public service delivery as well as governance,” the minister added.

The SOC will be chaired by the IT minister. Its members will include the secretaries of IT, finance, and planning, along with representatives from the private sector. The committees will monitor the PDA’s performance and provide independent reviews to the apex commission to ensure alignment with the National Digital Master Plan.

The NDC, the highest decision-making body under the new framework, will be chaired by the prime minister. Its members include the chief ministers of the four provinces, federal ministers for IT and telecommunication, planning and development, finance, commerce, interior and economic affairs, as well as the chairpersons of FBR, Nadra, PTA, PDA and SECP, and the SBP governor.

The commission will be responsible for approving the National Digital Master Plan, issuing implementation directives to the PDA, and ensuring coordinated digital transformation across federal and provincial levels.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2025