Ahsan proposes SCO Digital Governance, AI Capacity-Building Network

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal has proposed the establishment of an SCO Digital Governance and AI Capacity-Building Network to connect governments, civil service academies, universities, research institutions, technology centres and private-sector innovators across member states. According to details issued by the media wing of the Ministry of Planning, the Minister proposed while delivering the keynote address at the Thematic Forum on Digital Governance and Capacity Building during the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Digital Economy Forum in Urumqi. Ahsan Iqbal said the next frontier of transformation was not simply digitisation but digital governance, which required governments to redesign their systems around citizens, data, interoperability and measurable outcomes. Presenting Pakistan’s proposed framework for SCO cooperation, the Minister outlined five key initiatives. These included an SCO Digital Governance Academy to train ministers, regulators, civil servants and municipal leaders in digital transformation, AI governance, cybersecurity, data management and citizen-centred service delivery. The second proposal was an SCO Digital Public Infrastructure Exchange to facilitate the sharing of experience, standards and adaptable solutions in digital identity, instant payments, e-procurement, taxation, health, education and business registration. The third initiative, an SCO Fellowship for Digital Government and AI, would facilitate exchanges and placements among young civil servants, researchers and technologists across SCO member states. He also proposed a Responsible AI and Data Governance Forum to promote cooperation on privacy, cybersecurity, algorithmic accountability, ethical AI and carefully governed cross-border data flows. The fifth proposal was an SCO Digital Inclusion and Innovation Facility to support capacity building, regulatory assistance and pilot projects for young people, women, underserved communities and institutions outside major technology centres. Ahsan Iqbal proposed that cross-border data cooperation should begin with measurable pilot projects in trade and logistics, where digital integration could reduce transaction times and costs while increasing predictability. He said cooperation could subsequently expand to agriculture, climate, health, research and industrial applications as institutional trust developed. He stressed that SCO initiatives should be supported by measurable targets, including the number of officials trained, interoperable systems developed, fellowships completed, joint projects launched and citizens gaining access to digital public services. “Our cooperation must move from declarations to demonstrable outcomes, ” he said. Describing Pakistan as a natural bridge connecting China, Central Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and the Arabian Sea, the Minister said CPEC 2. 0 would complement physical connectivity with digital connectivity. “Just as roads and railways transport goods, trusted digital corridors can transport knowledge, services, finance and opportunity, ” he said. The Minister said digitisation merely put existing government processes online, whereas digital governance redesigned government around citizens, data, interoperability and outcomes. He stressed that a paper-based bureaucracy could not simply be transferred to a computer screen and called transformation. Pakistan needed to move from department-centric to citizen-centric government, from isolated databases to interoperable digital public infrastructure, and from reactive administration to data-driven and intelligent government. Ahsan Iqbal said technology alone could not transform a state, stressing that successful digital transformation required skilled people, capable institutions, adequate resources, and governance arrangements to ensure the secure and responsible use of data and emerging technologies. Highlighting Pakistan’s progress, he said digital transformation was embedded in URAAN Pakistan through its E-Pakistan pillar, while these priorities also converged with the Growth, Innovation, Green Development, Livelihood and Openness Corridors of CPEC 2. 0. The Minister said Pakistan was moving from AI awareness to AI adoption and from adoption to measurable economic and social impact. He said Pakistan had set a target of developing one million AI-skilled non-IT professionals by 2030, while seven AI hubs were being established under the National AI Advancement Initiative to provide 20, 000 training opportunities for graduates, teachers, public officials and industry professionals. The Digi Skills programme, he added, had recorded more than 4. 5 million enrolments. He said digital capacity building had three inseparable dimensions—human, institutional and financial capability. Training, he stressed, would have limited impact unless institutions could retain and apply new skills, while innovation could not scale without infrastructure, investment and market access. Concluding his address, Ahsan Iqbal said technology would provide the tools of the future, but human capacity, public trust and collective wisdom would determine the future that countries create. “Let the SCO become not merely a community connected by technology, but a community empowered by knowledge and united by trust, ” he said. Pakistan, he reaffirmed, stood ready to work with China and all SCO member states to translate this shared vision into measurable cooperation, inclusive development and shared prosperity. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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