ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet on Tuesday gave principal approval to the Digital Nation Pakistan Act 2024, which aims to establish the National Digital Commission and Pakistan Digital Authority, and to ensure the digitization of the national economy and paperless governance.
During the meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the cabinet instructed the law ministry to review the Act, which also seeks to digitize the services sector in line with international standards.
The Act stipulates that the National Digital Commission will serve as a policymaking body, led by the prime minister and including both federal and provincial members.
Additionally, the Act provides for the creation of the Pakistan Digital Authority, which will be a corporate entity with financial and administrative independence, to implement the objectives of Digital Pakistan.
Prime Minister Sharif briefed the cabinet on his recent visit to China, including his discussions with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang about the second phase of CPEC-II. He noted that a high-level Chinese delegation is expected to visit Pakistan to enhance bilateral cooperation.
He also mentioned the B2B meetings held between Pakistani and Chinese businesspeople and investors at the Pakistan-China Business Forum in Shenzhen.
The prime minister announced that the government plans to send approximately 1,000 young people to China for professional training in agricultural innovations and technology. Furthermore, Huawei will provide annual training to 200,000 Pakistani youths in various IT fields.
The federal cabinet approved the appointment of members from both the public and private education sectors to the National School for Public Policy.
On the recommendation of the human rights ministry, the cabinet formed a committee to initiate the appointment of a member from Islamabad to the National Commission for Human Rights.
The meeting also gave principal approval to The Arbitration Bill 2024 and the necessary consultation with provinces under Article 144 of the constitution. Additionally, it approved the signing of an MoU between the National Accountability Bureau and Sri Lanka’s Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery and Corruption to foster cooperation against bribery and the illegal flow of money.
The federal cabinet ratified the decisions made by the Cabinet Committee on State-Owned Enterprises on May 13 and 20, 2024, the Economic Coordination Committee on May 23 and 27, 2024, and the Cabinet Committee on Legislative Cases on June 5.
