JazzCash Secures Global Silver InsurTech Award
October 21, 2026
Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja delivered a keynote address at the Global AI & Digital Summit in Seoul, presenting Pakistan’s blueprint for artificial intelligence governance and digital transformation. She announced a $1 billion national funding commitment through 2030, alongside sweeping regulatory reforms, public sector AI deployments, and international digital initiatives.
Pakistan’s Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima Khawaja, addressed international delegates at the Global AI & Digital Summit in South Korea, presenting a national roadmap titled “Digital and AI Compacts: From Ambition to Action”.
Reflecting on her tenure, the minister stressed that public institutions must act decisively on emerging technologies rather than awaiting perfect readiness. Citing warnings from the United Nations regarding institutional unpreparedness for autonomous decision-making platforms, she called for immediate operational framework adoption across governments.
Ms. Khawaja detailed foundational strategies derived from Pakistan’s recent policy execution;
To resolve institutional fragmentation, Parliament enacted the Digital Nation Pakistan Act 2025, launching the National Digital Commission under the Prime Minister’s leadership to drive a comprehensive digitization plan through 2035.
The government is rolling out an integrated digital ecosystem covering identity, real-time payments, and secure data sharing centered on user privacy, while setting 57 technical standards to streamline private sector engagement.
Drafted regulations mandate clear labels for synthetic media, guarantee citizen rights to human review for automated decisions, and require public agencies to complete impact assessments prior to deploying AI systems.
In addition, the minister outlined significant human capital investments, including a $1 billion financial pledge toward AI development by 2030, digital training for one million non-tech professionals, and 1,000 fully funded doctoral scholarships in artificial intelligence.
On global policy, she highlighted Pakistan’s role as president of the Digital Cooperation Organization, announcing that the country plans to share its open-source national technology stack with developing nations free of charge.
Closing her address, Khawaja emphasized the necessity of “Sovereign AI” tailored to local languages and cultural contexts, asserting that national autonomy in the digital age depends on inclusive, locally developed technology.
