Transforming into a Digital Nation

Shortly after the launch of the Telecom Policy 2015, I wrote an article in this newspaper titled “Roadmap for Realizing Pakistan’s Digital Potential”, where I argued that a high-level body was needed to oversee the adoption of information and communication technologies ( ICT).

I mentioned similar high-level bodies in countries like Japan, South Korea, India, and even the United States (where Vice President Al Gore had earlier provided visionary leadership in favor of high-speed computing and communication).

Unfortunately, the IT ministry, not only in Pakistan, is treated as much ‘inferior’ to the larger and older ministries and agencies. For example, in Pakistan, the issue of the Right Path remains unresolved, despite the best efforts of the IT ministry. And it took almost 18 years to implement the e-office system in all ministries in Islamabad.

Therefore, to promote cooperation between various government agencies for a larger purpose, a high-level governing body is a prerequisite.

I also expressed my frustration on another issue – the chronic lack of coordination between the provinces (and between the center and the provinces) on issues related to the decentralized IT sector. Often efforts overlap and solutions are reinvented rather than adopting successful practices from one another.

The Digital Nation Pakistan 2024 bill introduced in parliament last week appears to address the above concerns by setting up a high-level ‘National Digital Commission’ (NDC), headed by the prime minister and including the four chief ministers. The NDC will provide strategic guidelines and help align policies and efforts between the center and the provinces.

To support the NDC, the bill proposes the “Pakistan Digital Authority” (PDA). This authority is to serve as the implementation arm of the NDC and act as its interface with both government and the private sector.

In consultation with stakeholders, the PDA is also to prepare a National Digital Master Plan, which is expected to include sector-specific plans, digital transformation roadmaps for key sectors, a comprehensive list of projects, implementation frameworks and a digital economy development plan .

One of the main challenges for the PDA will be governance and data management in both the public and private sectors. The PDA should ensure that data custodians maintain control over their respective data sets, while creating secure frameworks for sharing data with other stakeholders.

To provide strategic oversight for the PDA, the bill proposes a “Strategic Oversight Committee” (SOC). The SOC is supposed to independently review the PDA’s performance against the NDC master plan and guidelines. It is then to make recommendations to the NDC, mainly, “without interfering with the autonomy of the Authority”.

Benefits

The countless benefits of digitization are well documented. Countries such as Estonia, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, South Korea and India have shown how digital technologies are enabling nations to make leaps and bounds. Digital government allows people with unique digital IDs to access government services without visiting government offices, often with a few clicks on a smartphone.

For example, the paperwork involved in obtaining a license to start a new business can be drastically reduced. Instead of filling multiple forms and attaching copies of countless documents, digitization enables individuals to handle it without any interaction with government officials.

All the required data is already available in the government – ​​personal data is maintained by NADRA, tax data by FBR, financial data by banks, education data by HEC, business data by SECP, travel data by immigration department etc. on. Digitization facilitates automatic data retrieval by simplifying the authorization process or providing reasons if a request is rejected.

Beyond the minimization of human interaction between citizens and authorities, the most important benefit of digitization is the enhancement of the documentation of the economy. The bill appears to be aimed at these goals. This could be a game changer.

Concerns

There are several concerns of stakeholders who reviewed the draft law. Since no public consultation took place (although some leading experts from both the public and private sectors contributed), these concerns need to be discussed, debated and addressed as thoroughly as possible.

The primary concern is surveillance, especially in light of recent experiences where the Internet, which supports all digitization efforts, has often been breached. Complaints about Internet slowdowns and outages are common, and concerns are often raised about the violation of citizens’ online privacy (true or not).

Ideally, data protection legislation should have been enacted by now. However, even after such legislation is in place, there are fears that digitization can be misused by the state to invade privacy whenever deemed necessary. Another fear is that of potential conflicts or overlaps with data protection laws when they are enacted.

Two additional concerns center on the Strategic Oversight Committee (SOC). (a) Of the nine SOC members, only four are from the private sector, a proportion considered insufficient to have a meaningful impact.

In my own experience as CEO of USF, where 50% of the board members came from the private sector, it is clear that decisions often reflect the preferences of government officials.

(b) All private sector SOC members shall be appointed by the Prime Minister. It is not clear why the prime minister should have this power.

Apart from the SOC, there appears to be no accountability mechanism for the PDA, despite its sweeping powers. Therefore, the private sector should have a more prominent role in the SOC, allowing sub-sectors (such as telecommunications, IT, manufacturing, etc.) to appoint their own representatives, similar to the USF.

Long term effort

The Digital Nation Pakistan Bill 2024 is a critical and timely bill. However, significant challenges remain, including the digitization of all government services and the creation of a strong, nationwide digital infrastructure. All this takes time.

Digital transformation is a long-term endeavour, so such foundational legislation must be able to withstand any government changes. That’s why it’s important to direct it carefully – very carefully.

The author is the former CEO of the Universal Service Fund and provides telecommunications consultancy services (policy and regulatory) to several countries in Africa and Asia