Tech Desk 
Dec 29, 2024
With the government of Pakistan gearing up for nationwide digitalisation, State Minister for IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja on Saturday outlined functional duplication under the proposed "Digital Nation Pakistan" bill.
Recently tabled by the IT minister in the National Assembly, the bill was discussed at a high-level meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in the chair.
As reported by The Express Tribune, the Digital Nation Pakistan law comprises proposals similar to those being presented by the Ministry of Interior in the National Registration and Biometric Policy Framework.
These functional duplications would be addressed in collaboration with the IT ministry, the interior ministry assured the cabinet while reflecting on the establishment of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) in 2000 through the NADRA Ordinance, 2000.
Problems like these have been emerging sporadically, mainly due to gaps in regulatory frameworks and systemic disintegration, paving for loopholes exploited by malicious actors to compromise the integrity of the national population registry overseen by NADRA.
During the meeting, the cabinet was informed one of the most significant issues is the responsibility for reporting vital events rested on ordinary citizens rather than NADRA, highlighting that the state was encountering accessibility challenges in the face of limited NADRA facilities.
Notable inconsistencies in the registration data maintained by Union Councils and NADRA were also highlighted during the meeting, including the underuse of CNIC chips owing to the absence of downstream and upstream infrastructure.
