The federal government officially established the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA), appointing a chairperson and one other member to the body, it emerged on Wednesday.
As one of three bodies formed under the Digital Nation Bill — approved by the federal cabinet in June — the PDA will comprise a chairperson and two members, who will work to develop, implement and monitor the national digital master plan. The authority will also establish a monitoring and evaluation framework for digital transformation projects.
The Digital Nation Bill aims to create a digital identity for citizens in order to centralise social, economic and governance data, and to provide for the transformation of Pakistan into a digital nation, enabling a digital society, digital economy and digital governance, according to its stated objectives.
According to a pair of notifications from the Cabinet Division — dated August 19 and available with Dawn.com — Dr Sohail Munir has been appointed as the PDA chairperson, while Dr Muhammad J. Sear has been appointed as one of the authority’s two members. Both appointments have been made by the prime minister. One other member is yet to be named.
Dr Munir and Dr Sear have been appointed “under [the] Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication on [a] contract basis for a period of five years, with immediate effect and until further orders”, the identical notifications read.
Dr Munir is a “digital futurist” and a “leading expert” in the field of government digital transformation, according to his LinkedIn profile. He currently works in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as an adviser to the Abu Dhabi government’s Department of Government Enablement.
Dr Sear is also an expert on digital transformations in government and has worked as an adviser to governments and the private sector. He is currently the CEO of well-being startup Simpli Human in the UAE, according to LinkedIn.
In June, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved a search and selection committee to recommend the appointment of PDA members. Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja was appointed convener of the search committee.
The authority’s other functions include facilitating coordination between different stakeholders; establishing an evaluation frame for projects under the digital master plan; reviewing plans relevant to the master plan; developing and enforcing a national data strategy and comprehensive data governance framework within government entities and across public and private sectors, as well as recommending governance, standards and operational compliance of cloud infrastructure within the public sector among others.
