The Pakistan IT Industry Association has released its latest policy analysis examining the draft National Data Governance Policy 2026, consolidating feedback from member companies and benchmarking the draft against global data governance frameworks. The analysis represents PASHA’s formal input into the policy currently being finalized by the Pakistan Digital Authority, reflecting the association’s ongoing role in shaping technology regulation as Pakistan works to establish a federated national data architecture.
The analysis examines six core pillars of the draft policy, beginning with data custodianship, followed by AI and cyber governance, the WASL data exchange system, privacy rights, the proposed PDA regulator, and data sovereignty. Each of these pillars corresponds to a distinct component of the broader framework PDA has been developing, which is designed to connect existing data systems across government institutions through common standards and governed exchange rather than consolidating information into a single national database.
Beyond outlining the policy’s structure, PASHA’s analysis also highlights several key concerns industry stakeholders have raised around the draft. These include ambiguity in the scope separating public and private data, mandatory data residency requirements that could affect how companies store and manage information, and unclear rules around cross border and remote data access, areas that carry particular significance for Pakistan’s IT and IT enabled services sector given its reliance on international clients and cross border data flows.
As Pakistan’s principal trade body for the technology industry, PASHA’s policy analysis adds an industry perspective to the ongoing consultation process around the National Data Governance Policy, following recent engagements between PDA and various government ministries on the same draft framework. The association’s benchmarking of the policy against global data governance standards positions its feedback as part of a broader effort to ensure the final framework balances regulatory oversight with the operational realities faced by Pakistani technology companies operating in international markets.
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