Pakistan's first open data portal launched

Platform will provide public access to vital govt datasets, promote innovation

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ISLAMABAD:

In a pivotal moment for Pakistan's digital transformation, the federal minister for planning on Thursday officially launched the National Open Data Portal, which would serve as a central platform for public access to government datasets across vital sectors such as healthcare, education, economy, environment, infrastructure and demographics.

The portal was unveiled at the Pakistan Open Data Conference 2025, hosted by the National Centre in Big Data and Cloud Computing (NCBC), Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives.

This first-of-its-kind portal, developed by NCBC, is aimed at promoting transparency, empowering researchers and civil society and enabling data-driven policymaking and innovation.

Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal commended the NCBC's achievement for making this national platform a reality. He stressed that it was a great privilege to be part of the journey that led to the establishment of NCBC, which had played a pivotal role in building local capacity in artificial intelligence and machine learning.

"Pakistan's development narrative will now be written in codes and understood through data," the minister said, adding that leveraging digital tools was no longer optional but an urgent national priority.

He called the launch of the National Open Data Portal another major milestone that would empower policymakers, researchers and the public by providing access to valuable, structured datasets across key sectors and would support better decision-making, innovation and transparency for a stronger, more data-informed Pakistan.

Ahsan Iqbal concluded his speech with the message: "In a rapidly digitising world, it is no longer enough to make declarations; we must deliver results. Let's unite – the government, academia, industry and our youth – to build a data-smart, cloud-enabled, globally competitive Pakistan. The launch of the National Open Data Portal is not the conclusion; it is the beginning of a new era."

The event featured live demonstrations of the portal and a high-level panel discussion titled "Harnessing the Power of Open Data" with insights from industry experts.