The Ministry of Information Technology & Telecommunication and its allied organizations, humbly join the nation in celebrating Pakistan’s 78th Independence Day. This special gathering brings together leaders from government, industry, startups and academia to honour our country’s ascendant journey. This year the occasion also marks Marka-e-Haq, Pakistan’s stunning triumph over India this May, when courage, professionalism and technical capability combined to achieve victory. Not was this a historic moment forever etched in Pakistan history, it set the blueprint of capabilities to achieve success in any sphere of life.
Federal Minister for IT & Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja recalled Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s vision of a strong, progressive, and self-reliant Pakistan. Highlighting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s “Digital Nation Pakistan” vision, she explained that it is built on three core pillars “Digital Economy, Digital Society, and Digital Governance”; ensuring that “we move forward as one nation, using technology to leapfrog decades to a developed country.”
The Minister reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to making Pakistan economically and technologically self-reliant. She paid tribute to the Government of Pakistan, the Federal Cabinet, the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), the Armed Forces of Pakistan, and specially Field Marshal COAS General Syed Asim Munir for their unwavering leadership, dedication, and sacrifices in steering the nation’s economic and technological progress, and for playing a pivotal role in securing Pakistan’s recent triumph in Marka-e-Haq.
She noted that Pakistan’s digital progress has earned international recognition. In the Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI) 2024, Pakistan achieved Tier-1 “Role Modelling” status. The country’s ranking in the UN E-Government Development Index (EGDI) also improved by 14 places in 2024; placing Pakistan in the High EGDI category for the first time.
She added that she was especially proud of the fact that as per GSMA Gender Gap Report 2025, the mobile internet gender gap has reduced from 38% to 25%, with 8 million women starting to use mobile internet in FY 2024-25, while women’s mobile internet usage has nearly doubled from 10% to 19% which was a personal aim for her that she was passionate about when she took the ministry.
The Minister also outlined the future roadmap under the Digital Nation Pakistan vision, focusing on youth empowerment, improved governance, and industry facilitation and building a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) that will transform Pakistan. She announced that the National AI Policy 2025 had been approved, which will promote AI innovation, ethical AI development, and economic growth.
The National Ferberization Initiative will expand high-speed internet access across the country while the IMT Spectrum Auction will ensure 5G readiness, boost FDI, and drive telco growth. Satellite internet services will be introduced to ensure connectivity for all regions, and the Uninterrupted Internet for IT Companies Policy will guarantee consistent, high-quality connectivity to support IT exports and service delivery.
She added that DigiSkills 3.0, MOITT aims to train 3.3 Mn+ IT professionals in the next 3 years including 300K trainings of Huawei and 200K trainings of Google.
Concluding her message, Shaza Fatima Khawaja invoked Quaid-e-Azam’s belief that Pakistan’s future rests on hard work, discipline, and unity. She linked the spirit of independence to digital sovereignty; building a Pakistan that is self-reliant in technology, innovation, and governance. She paid tribute to the youth, women, entrepreneurs, and IT professionals as the builders of an equitably prosperous Pakistan.
“With Marka-e-Haq Pakistan redefined the rules of engagement to become a meaningful global player that cannot be ignored. On this 14th of August, we commit to using technology to redefine the rules of engagement on creating an equitable prosperous Pakistan within our lifetime”, she affirmed.
