The National Information Technology Board marked Pakistan’s Independence Day celebrations by honouring professionals whose work has advanced citizen centric digital solutions and e-governance across the country. The recognition ceremony took place at the Pakistan Asaan Khidmat Center in Islamabad, a facility that brings together more than 60 government services from 12 different departments under a single roof, and was attended by senior leadership from the country’s information technology apparatus, reflecting the government’s continued emphasis on digital transformation as part of its independence day messaging.
The event was led by Federal Minister for IT and Telecom Ms. Shaza Fatima Khawaja, alongside Federal Secretary IT Mr. Zarrar Hasham, Special Secretary IT Mr. Syed Muhammad Ammar Naqvi and CEO of National IT Board Mr. Faisal Iqbal Ratyal. Together, this leadership honoured outstanding professionals whose dedication has been credited with driving forward citizen focused digital initiatives and reinforcing the broader push toward e-governance in Pakistan. The Pakistan Asaan Khidmat Center itself, where the ceremony was held, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif as a joint initiative with the Government of Azerbaijan, and was delivered by the Ministry of IT and Telecom together with the National IT Board in what officials have described as record time for a project of its scale.
The recognition event coincided with a broader set of Independence Day messages from Pakistan’s IT leadership emphasising the growing role of technology and cybersecurity in national affairs. Speaking separately at a flag hoisting ceremony on the occasion of Pakistan’s 79th Independence Day, Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja stated that independence in the current era extends beyond physical borders to include digital sovereignty, and highlighted that technology now plays an increasing role across governance, the economy, health, education, agriculture and industry. She noted that cybersecurity has grown more important amid the rapid development of emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, and pointed to the Digital Nation Pakistan Act as a framework guiding the government’s approach to digital governance and the digital economy going forward.
Through this Independence Day recognition, the National IT Board used the occasion to spotlight individual contributions within the country’s e-governance ecosystem rather than solely focusing on institutional achievements. The event was tagged with hashtags including Digital Azad Pakistan and Digital Wins Pakistan Wins, signalling an effort to tie individual recognition to the government’s larger narrative around digital sovereignty and citizen centric public service delivery during Pakistan’s independence day celebrations this year.
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