The federal government has formally established the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA), appointing its first chairperson and one member to the three-member body, according to a report by Dawn News.
The authority, created under the Digital Nation Bill approved by the federal cabinet in June, will be responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring Pakistan’s national digital master plan. It will also design a monitoring and evaluation framework for digital transformation projects.
The Cabinet Division notifications confirm that Dr Sohail Munir has been appointed chairperson of the PDA, while Dr Muhammad J. Sear has been named as one of its two members. Both were appointed by the prime minister “under [the] Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication on [a] contract basis for a period of five years, with immediate effect and until further orders.” The appointment of the second member is still pending.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Dr Munir is a “digital futurist” and a leading expert on government digital transformation. He currently serves as an adviser to Abu Dhabi’s Department of Government Enablement in the United Arab Emirates. Dr Sear, also a specialist in government digital transformation, is the CEO of UAE-based well-being startup Simpli Human and has advised both governments and private sector organisations.
The Digital Nation Bill envisions creating a unified digital identity for citizens, centralising social, economic and governance data. Its stated objective is to transform Pakistan into a digital nation, enabling a digital society, digital economy, and digital governance.
In June, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif approved the formation of a search and selection committee to identify PDA members, with Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja serving as its convener.
Beyond the digital master plan, the authority has been tasked with coordinating stakeholders, reviewing and evaluating digital projects, developing a national data strategy, creating a governance framework for public and private sectors, and recommending standards for operational compliance of cloud infrastructure across government entities.
