Due to objections raised by both opposition and government members, the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill was not approved by the National Assembly’s Standing Committee.
During a meeting of the National Assembly’s IT Committee on Wednesday, chaired by Amin Ul Haq, the Digital Nation Pakistan Bill 2024 was discussed. The committee decided to postpone the bill for further consultation.
State Minister Shiza Fatima informed the committee that the project is not inexpensive, and that countries such as China took two decades to complete their digitization efforts.
She emphasized that the bill had been introduced after thorough consultation, warning that failure to embrace digitization would result in a regression to the Stone Age, as technology does not wait for anyone. She also remarked that if every aspect is to be examined from a surveillance standpoint, then TV vans should be discontinued.
Members, including those from the opposition, insisted on the need for further consultation on the bill.
Omar Ayub condemned the rushed legislative process as dangerous, and at the request of the members, the committee chairman postponed the bill for further discussion and input.