ISLAMABAD – The federal government has formally established the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) and appointed its chairman along with one member.
The authority has been created under the “Digital Nation Bill” approved by the federal cabinet in June.
According to a Cabinet Division notification, Dr. Sohail Munir has been appointed as chairman and Dr. Muhammad J. Sayar as member. Both appointments have been made by the prime minister under the Ministry of IT on a five-year contract, while one member is yet to be appointed.
The objective of the Digital Nation Bill is to establish citizens’ digital identity, integrate social, economic, and government data, and move Pakistan towards a digital society, digital economy, and digital governance.
Dr. Sohail Munir and Dr. Sayar are experts in digital transformation and are currently providing consultancy to various government and private entities in the UAE.
Other responsibilities of the authority include preparing a National Digital Master Plan, creating frameworks for monitoring and evaluation of projects, formulating data strategy and governance frameworks, and ensuring standards and implementation of cloud infrastructure across government institutions.
