PM pushes unified national data center

Orders timely completion of Daanish schools

ISLAMABAD:

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed authorities to take immediate and effective measures to make the facilities of the newly established federal government-operated national central data center, Sky 47, available to all federal institutions.

He also directed that a meeting of the National Digital Commission should be convened at the earliest to take all stakeholders, including the provinces, into confidence regarding the policy.

Established under the Digital Nation Pakistan Act 2025, the commission is headed by the prime minister, while all provincial chief ministers serve as its members.

The prime minister said that a single, integrated national data center for the public sector would provide a centralised platform for the data of all government institutions, helping eliminate the need for separate data centers and resulting in significant savings of national resources.

Daanish schools

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the Daanish Authority Board that all under-construction Daanish Schools should be completed within the stipulated time frame, with no delays tolerated in the process.

The prime minister chaired the first meeting of the Daanish Authority Board here, during which he issued a series of directives aimed at expanding quality education opportunities for underprivileged children across the country, a Prime Minister's Office news release said.

Welcoming the board members and participants, the prime minister thanked them for accepting the important responsibility, saying providing equal opportunities of education and development to economically disadvantaged children remained a top priority of the government.

FBR reforms

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the relevant authorities to identify and initiate strict legal actions against the individuals and businesses involved in the informal economy and tax evasion.

Chairing a weekly review meeting on reforms in the FBR, the prime minister instructed to develop a comprehensive and scientific methodology to estimate the tax potential across different sectors.

The prime minister was briefed on the installation of the FBR's production tracking system, reforms implemented in human resource management, and measures to improve operational efficiency. He was informed that the tracking system was fully operational in the sugar, cement, tobacco, tiles, and fertilizer sectors.

"Implementation is in its final stages in five additional sectors with an estimated tax potential exceeding Rs 700 billion."

Participants were further informed that work was underway with nine manufacturing sectors to design and implement tracking systems, enabling the government to tap an additional Rs 560 billion in tax potential.

During the briefing on human resource reforms, it was stated that newly recruited officers are receiving training at one of the country's leading universities, with a strong emphasis on merit and performance.

To strengthen transparency, 957 third-party auditors have been appointed. Meanwhile, the recruitment process for 280 Goods Evaluators under the Customs faceless system is underway, with merit and transparency being given top priority.

The faceless system has not only reduced the time required for cargo clearance and movement but has also improved revenue collection.

The meeting was further informed that a Case Scrutiny Committee is being established to reduce unnecessary tax litigation. The committee will decide, on merit, whether tax-related cases should be filed.

Similarly, under the Alternative Dispute Resolution Committees (ADRCs), 152 out of 377 applications received up to June 2026 were resolved within 90 days, resulting in the recovery of Rs54 billion in tax revenue.