Senate IT Committee Discusses Digital Nation Pakistan Bill 2025, World Bank Approves $78 Million for Project

ISLAMABAD:The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology held a meeting to review the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill 2025, with discussions surrounding key amendments and the involvement of provinces in the project.*

The meeting, chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan, was focused on the important bill, with Secretary IT informing that the World Bank had approved $78 million for the Digital Economy Project (DEP). Senator Kamran Murtaza raised concerns over the bill’s intervention in provincial matters, suggesting an amendment to Section 67 to better reflect provincial rights.

The committee chair, Senator Palwasha Khan, questioned the absence of Minister of State Shaza Fatima, to which Ministry of IT officials explained that the minister had lost a close relative.

Senator Murtaza expressed concerns that the bill’s current form seemed to interfere with provincial autonomy. However, Ministry of Law officials clarified that this matter was under federal jurisdiction, and the federal government was exercising its existing powers.

Secretary of the Ministry of Information Technology assured the committee that the proposed commission would be a high-level body responsible for making all major decisions regarding the project.

Senator Manzoor Kakar emphasized that provinces should receive their due share under the bill, to which the IT Secretary confirmed that provinces would indeed be represented in the commission. Responding to Kakar’s query, the Secretary mentioned that the World Bank had allocated $78 million for the Digital Economy Project.

The committee is expected to approve the bill today, after further deliberations.