Bill to regulate social media

Proposed law will further empower SIFC

ISLAMABAD:

The federal government has stepped up its efforts to regulate social media through a bill that would empower the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) as the principal authority for the overarching approval of any sectoral plans prepared by the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA).

The proposed structure of the bill to increase the powers of the SIFC — a civil-military hybrid forum — is in line with the “vision and objective of a digital nation to be the driver of economic growth”.

Under this bill, the National Digital Commission (NDC) will be set up to work as a policy-approving council chaired by the prime minister.

The NDC will also include the highest level of federal and provincial representation.

The commission’s objective is to “safeguard and enable Pakistan as a digital nation through strategic oversight and policy leadership, focusing on a resilient digital society, a thriving digital economy, and modernised digital governance”.

The NDC will also be responsible for issuing approval of the National Digital Masterplan and any implementation plan submitted by the PDA.

Besides, the NDC will also have to ensure alignment, coordination, as well as accountability on the enforcement and execution of approved measures including digitalisation initiatives and projects brought forth by the PDA across all levels of federal and provincial governments to “achieve national economic development and the digital nation vision”.

The PDA will also be set up under this bill.

It will be a body corporate with financial and administrative powers.

It will consist of a board headed by its chairperson, appointed by the prime minister, to drive the overall initiative, as well as a chief executive officer to manage the necessary operations to implement the approved projects and plans “under the guidance of the board”.

The objective is to initiate and execute digital transformation initiatives “through the development of sector and implementation plans along with the National Digital Masterplan [NDM], digitalisation projects, and initiatives”.

The board will be principally “responsible for designing the architectures and policies for the goal of a digital nation”.

The PDA will be responsible for the successful rollout and execution of the NDM.

The PDA will also drive the implementation of the bill and be the main executive body under the guidance of the board and NDC.

Additionally, the PDA will also be responsible for the day-to-day operations, execution of research, training, and capacity-building programmes.