Govt's rush on digital bill upsets NA panel

The IT minister's attempt to rush the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill, 2024 through a parliamentary panel irked its members who complained of not being given adequate time to review the ambitious piece of legislation that seeks to digitize society, economy, and governance.

A meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology took place on Tuesday with a one-point agenda—to review the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill, 2024 that was introduced in the National Assembly a day earlier. Syed Aminul Haque chaired the meeting.

Addressing the meeting, Minister of State for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja urged the members to approve the bill urgently, stating that delays are costly.

"If the bill is not approved today, there will be a 1.5-month break due to winter holidays. The bill will be discussed in the National Assembly tomorrow [Wednesday], and amendments can be made there. The members should approve the bill to save two months," she added.

PPP's Sharmila Faruqi, however, noted that the bill requires further discussion. "While the initiative is good, the members have not been kept in the loop. The bill proposes the creation of a commission and an authority. There is ambiguity in the bill, particularly regarding the data exchange layer," she said.

Sher Ali Arbab of the PTI also objected to this hurry, noting that the bill was presented in the NA on Monday and its approval is being sought on Tuesday. "A follow-up meeting should be held in two or three days," he suggested.

Syed Ali Kasim Gilani of the PPP agreed that the bill is of significant importance but noted that it would be challenging to hold a meeting of the 17-member proposed commission as it includes not only the prime minister and some key federal ministers but also all the four provincial chief ministers.

Speaking on the occasion, IT Secretary Zarrar Hasham Khan said the data exchange layer is essentially an interchange layer bus. He said feedback on the software was taken from the Pakistan Software Houses Association (PASHA) and all stakeholders were consulted on the bill.

He said modern societies are built on digital economies, digital societies, and digital governance.

"Tasks like degree verification from HEC [Higher Education Commission] or other similar processes will be streamlined. A new system is being introduced after studying global practices and standards and this digital transformation will benefit the common man," he added.

Dr Mahesh Kumar of the PPP suggested that Pakistani experts abroad need to be brought in for this initiative. Political parties should be taken into confidence, he said.

Defending the bill, Shaza Fatima Khawaja said political leadership will be consulted before the National Assembly debate on Wednesday (today). She said it is a historic initiative for Pakistan.

"The law will eliminate red tape and other challenges and bureaucratic delays in ministries will also be addressed. The health sector will benefit, as the system will help track the spread of diseases.

In conclusion, the National Assembly Standing Committee postponed the Digital Nation Bill, 2024 until Wednesday (today).