Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja delivered a keynote address titled “Digital and AI Compacts: From Ambition to Action” at the Global AI & Digital Summit in Seoul, South Korea. Parliament recently enacted the Digital Nation Pakistan Act 2025, which created the National Digital Commission.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan approved a National Digital Master Plan to digitise 12 priority sectors through 2035. Development efforts include building a Unified Payment Interface, a Digital Identity, and a Data Exchange Layer.
Pakistan is also registering more than 1 million women-led farms in the agriculture sector and has established 57 national standards for the private sector. The country moved from 150th to 136th position in the UN E-Government Index 2024, an improvement of 14 places.
A USD 1 billion financial commitment for artificial intelligence through 2030 was announced by the Prime Minister. Training for 1 million non-IT professionals in digital and AI skills is underway, alongside 1,000 fully funded AI PhD scholarships.
The Islamabad AI Declaration set nine principles for responsible and sovereign AI. Pakistan's digital workforce is expected to quadruple within one year.
Holding the presidency of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), Pakistan saw the group approve its proposed Regional DPI Initiative. The nation will provide its national stack to other countries for free once it is finished.
