Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved contract appointments for two information technology professionals at Pakistan Railways’ Information Technology Directorate, marking a direct intervention from the Prime Minister’s Office to accelerate the digitisation of one of Pakistan’s largest public sector institutions. According to a notification issued by the Establishment Division, both appointments have been approved under the Management Position Scales Policy, 2020, in the MP-III Scale, and will run for three years with effect from the date the officials formally join their roles.
Under the decision, Dr. Rabea Jaffery has been appointed as a software developer specialising in user interface and user experience design, while Mr. Basit Jamil Abbasi has been appointed as a software developer focusing on mobile application development. The two roles address complementary but distinct dimensions of Pakistan Railways’ digital infrastructure needs. Dr. Jaffery’s focus on UI/UX design will contribute to making the railway’s digital platforms more intuitive and accessible for the millions of passengers who interact with them, while Abbasi’s specialisation in mobile application development directly supports the expansion of Pakistan Railways’ app-based services, which have been a priority for improving customer experience and reducing dependence on manual ticketing and booking processes.
The appointment of IT professionals under the Management Position Scales framework, which is designed to attract market-competitive talent into public sector roles that require specialised expertise not available through standard civil service grades, reflects a growing recognition that transforming Pakistan Railways’ digital capabilities requires professionals with private sector-level technical skills. Pakistan Railways operates one of the country’s most complex logistics and passenger transport networks, and the gap between the digital services it currently offers and what modern users expect has been a persistent source of frustration for both passengers and the organisation’s own management.
The Prime Minister’s personal approval of these appointments signals the level of priority attached to digitalising Pakistan Railways at the highest level of government. The two new appointees will join the Information Technology Directorate at a time when the organisation is working to build more user-friendly digital platforms and mobile applications, with the stated goals of improving customer service, increasing operational efficiency, and streamlining the day-to-day railway operations that currently rely heavily on manual and paper-based processes across booking, scheduling, ticketing, and communication systems.
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