• Provinces’ silence, apex council’s too ‘bureaucratic’ structure block rollout; key pillars remain untouched
• Data centres rapidly expanding with no oversight authority designated

ISLAMABAD : The implementation of Pakistan’s National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy has stalled more than six months after its approval due to a government decision to amend the composition of the AI Council and a lack of response from provincial governments.

Although the federal cabinet approved the National AI Policy in July 2025, sources in the Mi­­nistry of Information Technology and Telecommunication said the federal government asked the provinces for input on the policy’s implementation.

However, no formal response has so far been received, stalling consultations required for finalising a nationwide framework.

Moreover, the government decided to delay the establishment of the proposed AI Council, a key component of the AI Policy, because the incumbent structure is “too bureaucratic”, according to officials.

The AI Council serves as an apex body responsible for providing strategic direction and overseeing the policy implementation process. Under the policy, the council is chaired by the federal minister for IT and Telecom.

Its members include the secretaries of IT, Science and Technology and Planning; the member IT in the Ministry of IT and Telecom; the chairman of the Higher Education Commission and the Pakistan Digital Authority; and provincial chief secretaries.

The council will also have one expert each from academia, industry, civil society and citizen advocacy groups, alongside representatives from sectors such as healthcare and agriculture.

A senior official at the IT ministry added that the current composition of the council has a “limited presence of the AI experts based both in the country and abroad”, therefore an amendment was essential.

Incidentally, the only pillar of the National AI Policy currently being implemented is creating “Awareness and Readiness”. Officials claim the Indus AI week, scheduled to be held next week in Islamabad, is the first step in this regard.

An official added that this event will supplement another pillar: “International Partnerships and Collaborations”.

However, negligible efforts have been made regarding the remaining pillars of the policy. These include establishing the “AI Innovation Ecosystem”, the “Secure AI Ecosystem”, and the “Transformation and Evolution” of sectors and industries towards the effective use of AI.

Furthermore, there is currently no authority responsible for regulating or monitoring the “AI Infrastructure” pillar. While data centres and cloud services are being established in the country, there is a lack of clear government policy and regulatory framework in this regard.

Published in Dawn, February 7th, 2026