Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema and Advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office Dr. Tauqeer Shah co-chaired a meeting on the National Digital Masterplan (NDMP) to review progress on Pakistan’s digital transformation agenda and strengthen coordination among federal and provincial stakeholders.
Federal Minister for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Secretary IT Zarrar Hashim Khan, Chairman Pakistan Digital Authority Dr. Sohail Munir, and senior officials briefed the co-chairs on the implementation roadmap, institutional coordination mechanisms, and ongoing initiatives under the National Digital Masterplan aimed at accelerating digital governance, digital economy, digital infrastructure, and digital society reforms across the country.
During the meeting, Federal Minister Ahad Cheema appreciated the Ministry of IT and Telecommunication for its active engagement with provincial governments and emphasized that strong provincial participation would be essential for the successful implementation of the National Digital Masterplan. He stated that the NDMP represents a national framework designed to ensure inclusive and coordinated digital transformation across all sectors of the economy, including education, health, agriculture, taxation, social protection, energy, logistics, and public service delivery.
Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Cheema expressed hope that consultations with all provinces on the National Digital Masterplan would be finalized before the upcoming federal budget to ensure alignment of priorities, implementation readiness, and effective resource planning for the next fiscal year. He said he expected provincial governments to finalize their feedback and consultations with the Ministry of IT on the NDMP before the budget. He further underscored that improved inter-provincial collaboration would help create harmonized digital systems, strengthen service delivery, and enhance transparency and efficiency in governance.
The participants of meeting reviewed a proposal to introduce a dedicated digital transformation column in the PC-1 of new development projects, similar to the existing environment-related component in project planning. The proposal aims to ensure that digital integration and technology adoption are incorporated into project design and implementation from the outset, enabling improved governance, efficiency, transparency, and service delivery across sectors.
The meeting was further briefed that the NDMP envisions transforming Pakistan into a leading digital nation through investments in digital infrastructure, nationwide connectivity, digital skills development, innovation ecosystems, and modernized governance frameworks. The masterplan also focuses on promoting digital entrepreneurship, strengthening public sector digital services, enabling secure and interoperable digital public infrastructure, and fostering a technology-driven economy capable of attracting investment and generating employment opportunities for youth.
Federal Minister Ahad Cheema said the public would be the ultimate beneficiary of the digital masterplan as it would minimize human intervention and create greater ease in accessing government services. He said citizens would be able to obtain basic public services and facilities without the need to visit government offices, thereby improving efficiency, transparency, and convenience. Minister Ahad Cheema highlighted the federal government had successfully completed the Prime Minister’s initiative of e-Office and several other digital transformation projects, adding that, like those initiatives, the government would successfully implement the National Digital Masterplan.
