ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s federal cabinet, in the chair with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, has approved the Digital Nation Pakistan Act 2024 to digitalize the national economy.
The Act aims to establish the National Digital Commission and Pakistan Digital Authority, with the objective of promoting paperless governance and digitizing the country’s economy. The law ministry has been tasked with reviewing the Act to ensure alignment with international standards, particularly in digitizing the services sector.
Under this Act, the National Digital Commission, headed by the prime minister and comprising federal and provincial members, will serve as a policymaking body. Furthermore, a Pakistan Digital Authority, functioning as a corporate entity with financial and administrative autonomy, will be established to advance the objectives of Digital Pakistan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif briefed the cabinet members on his recent visit to China, where discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang included deliberations on the second phase of CPEC-II. He announced that a high-powered Chinese delegation would soon visit Pakistan to enhance bilateral cooperation.
He also highlighted the successful B2B meetings held between Pakistani and Chinese businessmen at the Pakistan-China Business Forum in Shenzhen.
Furthermore, the government plans to send approximately 1,000 young professionals to China for training in innovations and technology in the agriculture sector.
Moreover, Huawei has committed to annually training 200,000 Pakistani youths in various fields of information technology.
In other decisions, the federal cabinet approved the appointment of members of the National School for Public Policy from both the public and private education sectors. A cabinet committee was also formed, as per the recommendation of the human rights ministry, to initiate the appointment of a member from Islamabad to the National Commission for Human Rights.
The cabinet principally approved The Arbitration Bill 2024 and initiated consultations with provinces under Article 144 of the constitution. Moreover, an MoU between the National Accountability Bureau and Sri Lanka’s Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption was endorsed to enhance cooperation against bribery and illegal money flows.
Additionally, the federal cabinet endorsed decisions taken by various committees, including the Cabinet Committee on State-Owned Enterprises, the Economic Coordination Committee, and the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases, on respective dates in May and June 2024.
