The Federal Cabinet approved the Digital Nation Pakistan Act 2024, aimed at establishing the National Digital Commission and the Pakistan Digital Authority to drive the digitisation of the economy and promote e-governance.
According to reports, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the law ministry to conduct the necessary review of the act to ensure the digitisation of the services sector aligns with international standards.
The National Digital Commission, headed by the Prime Minister and comprising federal and provincial members, will serve as a policymaking organisation.
The Pakistan Digital Authority will work towards achieving the goals of ‘Digital Pakistan’ and will function as a corporate entity with financial and administrative autonomy.
PM Shehbaz Sharif also discussed his recent visit to China, noting that a high-powered Chinese delegation would visit Pakistan to expand bilateral cooperation.
He mentioned that business-to-business meetings took place between Pakistani and Chinese businessmen and investors at the Pakistan-China Business Forum in Shenzhen.
Additionally, the Prime Minister announced that the government would send around 1,000 young Pakistanis to China for training in tech and agriculture sectors. Huawei is set to train 200,000 Pakistani youngsters annually in information technology.
The federal cabinet also approved the appointment of members from both the public and private education sectors to the National School for Public Policy.
On the recommendation of the human rights ministry, a cabinet committee was formed to initiate the appointment of a member from Islamabad to the National Commission for Human Rights.
The meeting also approved ‘The Arbitration Bill 2024’ and relevant consultations with the provinces under Article 144 of the Constitution. An MoU between the National Accountability Bureau and Sri Lanka’s Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption was also signed.
Additionally, the federal cabinet endorsed the decisions of the Cabinet Committee on State-Owned Enterprises made on May 13 and May 20, the Economic Coordination Committee’s decisions of May 23 and May 27, and the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases’ decisions from June 5.
