Pakistan Digital Authority is holding the final round of open consultation on the Draft National Data Governance Policy 2026 today, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM Pakistan Standard Time, conducted online via Zoom. The session marks the last opportunity for stakeholders and members of the public to share input before the policy is finalized.
The consultation forms part of a broader process through which Pakistan Digital Authority has been gathering feedback on the draft policy, which outlines a federated approach to managing government data across institutions. Rather than proposing a single centralized database, the policy envisions custody of data remaining with the body that lawfully collects it, connected through common standards and governed exchange between institutions. The framework is built around enabling what officials have described as the once only principle, under which citizens and businesses would not need to repeatedly submit the same information to different government bodies, reducing documentation requirements and simplifying access to public services.
With the policy nearing finalization, today’s session gives participants a final chance to weigh in on key elements of the draft, including provisions related to data sovereignty, privacy protections, responsible access to non-personal data, and the governance structures needed to support interoperability between institutions. The consultation process reflects an effort by Pakistan Digital Authority to incorporate broader public and institutional input before the policy moves toward implementation, following earlier engagement with government stakeholders including consultations with Ministry of Commerce on how the framework could support digital trade services and institutional interoperability.
Those interested in participating in today’s session can join through the Zoom meeting link shared by Pakistan Digital Authority, using meeting ID 862 1382 1592 and passcode 069405. A copy of the Draft National Data Governance Policy 2026 has also been made available for reference ahead of the discussion, allowing participants to review the document’s provisions before offering feedback during the consultation.
As Pakistan continues to develop its digital governance framework, sessions of this nature are intended to ensure that policies shaping the future of data management and interoperability across government institutions are informed by input from a wide range of stakeholders, including technical experts, industry representatives and members of the public with a direct interest in how the country’s data infrastructure is structured going forward.
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