Tech Desk 
Jan 27, 2025
Little over a month after it was tabled in the National Assembly by the IT ministry, the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom on Monday passed the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill 2025.
Approved after four votes were cast in its favour and two against, the bill was proposed by Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja on December 16, 2024.
Before giving a nod to the bill, the committee also debated changes proposed by a lawmaker to Section 7 of the bill, according to ProPakistani.
While the bill initially secured four votes upholding it, Senator Nadeem Bhutto retreated after expressing doubts about the said section of the bill.
Owing to this backtracking, changes presented for Section 7 failed to obtain approval and led to the retention of the original text.
The bill mandates the establishment of a 17-member National Digital Commission, which would be presided over by the prime minister and will consist of chief ministers of all provinces, federal ministers, and higher-ups of key institutions including the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), and the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP).
The commission will oversee the development and enaction of a National Digital Master Plan which will be devised to transform Pakistan into a fully digital nation.
