Pakistan Digital Authority hosted Dr Naeem Zafar, Chief Statistician at Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, at its headquarters to discuss the registers and data systems underpinning the country’s digital public infrastructure. The meeting focused on strengthening the foundational data architecture that supports government services and national planning, with much of the discussion centered on the National Core Data Registers intended to serve as authoritative sources across government departments.
The registers discussed included the National Individual Register, the Pakistan Legal Entity Identifier, the Business Location Register, the Property Register, the Vehicle Register, and the National Address Register. These registers are designed to function as single sources of truth that different government agencies can draw on rather than maintaining separate and potentially inconsistent datasets, an approach intended to reduce duplication and improve the reliability of information used across public services. Establishing this kind of shared data infrastructure has been identified as a foundational step in building out Pakistan’s broader digital public infrastructure agenda.
Beyond the core registers, Pakistan Digital Authority and Pakistan Bureau of Statistics discussed modernizing the National Statistical System by pairing traditional data collection methods with administrative data, artificial intelligence, and geospatial technology. The two sides also examined a standardized Property Identification Framework built around international standards and Unique Property Identifiers, along with a National Spatial Data Infrastructure intended to connect spatial data across different institutions. Discussions additionally covered coordination on data governance, digital identity systems, and cybersecurity, reflecting the interconnected nature of the technical and policy challenges involved in building a reliable national data foundation.
Officials from both organizations described data registers as foundational digital assets that will support citizen centric public services while strengthening Pakistan’s digital economy over time. The emphasis on getting this data foundation right reflects a broader recognition that higher level systems, from national statistics to frontline service delivery, depend on the accuracy and consistency of the underlying registers. The meeting adds to a series of engagements between Pakistan Digital Authority and other government bodies focused on building out the technical and regulatory infrastructure needed to support the country’s digital transformation agenda.
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