Experts from government institutions, media, academia, the technology sector, civil society and development organizations have called for coordinated national efforts to build a trusted, inclusive and democratic digital ecosystem in Pakistan. The call came at the Pakistan Digital Democracy Dialogue 2026, organized by Freedom Gate Prosperity in collaboration with Accountability Lab and DDI South Asia under the theme Digital Pakistan for All, which brought together diverse voices to deliberate on information integrity, digital civic space, artificial intelligence, digital governance and inclusive digital transformation.
Murtaza Solangi, Spokesperson to the President of Pakistan, chaired the dialogue’s first session and highlighted the growing importance of information integrity in the digital era, observing that while digital platforms have democratized access to information, they have also amplified misinformation and polarization. Brigadier Dr. Muhammad Mukarram Khan, Director General of the Cyber Vigilance Division at PTA, emphasized that digital trust and cybersecurity have become fundamental pillars of national resilience, stressing that Pakistan must continue strengthening institutional preparedness to counter cyber threats, online fraud and identity theft while keeping technological progress citizen centric and rights based. Professor Dr. Yasar Ayaz, Chairman of the National Centre of Artificial Intelligence, said artificial intelligence presents significant opportunities for improving governance, education, healthcare and economic productivity, underlining the need for Pakistan to invest in indigenous AI research and ethical governance frameworks.
The dialogue’s second session focused on inclusive digital transformation, AI and government technology, chaired by Dr. Saad S. Khan, Additional Secretary at the Revenue Division of the Ministry of Finance, who emphasized that digital transformation should be accompanied by institutional coordination and regulatory coherence. Ali Asghar, Chairman of the National Commission for Human Development, highlighted digital literacy as a cornerstone of inclusive national development, while Sharjeel Murtaza, Chief Digital Officer at Karandaaz Pakistan, spoke on the transformative role of digital public infrastructure in improving service delivery and financial inclusion. Additional participants, including Sidra Jalil of InspireMill and OPEN Islamabad, called for stronger support for startups, digital skills development and innovation ecosystems that allow young people to participate more meaningfully in the country’s digital economy.
Concluding the dialogue, Shafqat Aziz, Strategic Policy Advisor at Freedom Gate Prosperity, presented the key recommendations emerging from the discussions, calling for a multi stakeholder national framework on information integrity, accelerated inclusive digital transformation, responsible AI governance, enhanced digital literacy and cyber safety, and stronger protection of digital rights. The recommendations also called for closer collaboration among academia, government and industry, along with institutionalized policy dialogue to guide Pakistan’s digital future, reflecting a broader effort among stakeholders to shape the country’s approach to emerging technology and governance in the years ahead.
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