The Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners (PCATP) has been onboarded onto the E-Office system developed by the National Information Technology Board (NITB), marking another step in the digitisation of administrative operations across Pakistan’s public-sector institutions. NITB announced the development through its official LinkedIn account, confirming that PCATP had been successfully listed and onboarded onto the government-supported digital workplace platform. The transition is intended to move the council’s official administrative processes towards electronic workflows, reducing reliance on physical files and paper-based correspondence. The announcement identified PCATP Chairman Ejaz Qadri and Registrar Jahanzaib Khan Luni as the institutional leaders under whose supervision the initiative was implemented. The onboarding adds another public-sector organisation to the growing number of institutions adopting digital systems for internal administration and official file management. It also reflects the government’s broader efforts to introduce technology into routine departmental operations, with the objective of improving the movement of official documents, supporting administrative coordination and making institutional processes more traceable.
The E-Office platform is developed by NITB as a digital workplace solution for government departments and public institutions. Its central function is to facilitate electronic movement of files and documents, allowing official matters to be processed through digital channels instead of depending entirely on physical paperwork. According to NITB, the system is designed to support a paperless working environment across government organisations. Its application provides facilities for handling internal and external official matters, including the movement of documents for approval and authorisation. By shifting these processes to an electronic system, institutions can manage administrative records digitally and improve visibility into the progress of official files. The platform also provides a structured environment for departmental workflows, helping authorised personnel handle documentation and approvals through a centralised digital process. For organisations with multiple administrative responsibilities, such systems can reduce dependence on physical file circulation and provide a more organised way to manage official correspondence. The E-Office application is owned and managed by NITB and was commissioned by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, making it part of the government’s wider digital governance infrastructure.
For PCATP, joining the system provides an opportunity to incorporate digital file management into the council’s administrative operations. As a statutory professional body responsible for matters relating to architecture and town planning, the council performs institutional and regulatory functions that involve official correspondence, documentation and administrative coordination. Moving relevant workflows onto E-Office can support the electronic handling of these processes and provide a digital route for the circulation and approval of official documents. The transition is also expected to contribute to more organised record management and reduce delays associated with the physical movement of files. NITB described the development as part of efforts to promote transparency, eliminate paper-based delays and advance digital governance across national institutions. However, the announcement did not specify the individual PCATP departments or processes being migrated, the date on which the system became fully operational, or the volume of records expected to be digitised. Further implementation details would clarify the extent to which the council’s existing administrative procedures will be integrated into the platform and how the system will be used across its operations.
The PCATP onboarding comes as NITB continues to expand the use of E-Office across government organisations and public institutions. The board’s central dashboard lists the platform among its flagship initiatives, reporting implementation across 40 ministries and 100 departments. The government has also called for wider adoption of digital office systems beyond federal ministries. In August 2026, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed relevant institutions to ensure the use of E-Office across subordinate departments and state-owned enterprises as part of efforts to accelerate digital reforms. NITB has also announced implementation initiatives involving other institutions, including the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the University of Science and Technology Bannu. These developments indicate an expanding focus on digitising internal government processes alongside citizen-facing online services. For PCATP, the onboarding represents participation in this broader transition, providing the council with access to a government-developed platform for electronic administrative workflows. As more public-sector bodies adopt such systems, consistent implementation, staff training, access management and the digitisation of existing records will remain important to ensuring that the transition delivers practical improvements in administrative efficiency and institutional accountability.
Follow the SPIN IDG WhatsApp Channel for updates across the Smart Pakistan Insights Network covering all of Pakistan’s technology ecosystem.
