ISLAMABAD — The government has positioned the URAAN Pakistan Data Centre as a core national asset to underpin its long-term growth ambitions, with the facility set to play a central role in enabling data-driven governance for the country’s transformation into a $1 trillion economy by 2035.
Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal visited the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) on Thursday, where he highlighted the strategic importance of granular, disaggregated data in government decision-making. He noted that the URAAN Centre will now serve as the main source for planning, implementation, and monitoring across federal programmes.
Iqbal described the shift toward data-centric governance as essential for modern economic management, stating that the centre would provide the foundation for transparent policymaking. He said detailed information—ranging from national to household level—would now guide future development efforts.
Briefing the minister, Chief Statistician Naeem uz Zafar said the URAAN Centre is equipped with over 700 terabytes of storage, high-performance computing capacity, and a disaster recovery site in Lahore. These features, he said, meet international standards and will safeguard Pakistan’s statistical needs for the coming decade.
The platform integrates data across demographic, economic, trade, social, and governance sectors, enabling analysis at the constituency level. Officials said this will empower elected representatives to track progress in their jurisdictions, encouraging results-focused development.
Iqbal also directed PBS to align its data collection with the evolving needs of private businesses, academia, and research institutions. He noted that this will improve national responsiveness to complex issues such as energy shortages, export diversification, food security, and youth employment.
The initiative is part of a broader shift in public sector strategy toward digitisation and precision policymaking, with the government aiming to elevate economic productivity and institutional accountability through integrated data systems.
