ISLAMABAD: Marking a major milestone in Pakistan’s journey toward digital advancement, Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal, officially launched the ‘National Big Data Portal’ on Thursday. He described the platform as a key step in shaping a data-driven and digitally empowered future for the nation.
Developed by LUMS in collaboration with the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the portal aims to centralize public data and make it accessible to researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, and citizens alike.
At the launch event, the Minister emphasized that the portal is more than just a technological innovation — it symbolizes Pakistan’s intent to lead in the global data revolution. “Our development narrative will now be built with data, interpreted in the cloud, and driven by insight,” he said, underlining that effective use of data has become essential to national progress.
He acknowledged current challenges such as fragmented data systems, weak analytical capacity, and poor institutional integration, calling for a shift from retrospective analysis to proactive, data-led decision-making.
The launch aligns with the government’s 5Es Framework, which positions digital transformation as a core component of development. Professor Iqbal highlighted how big data and cloud technologies could revolutionize governance, public services, education, healthcare, and climate resilience.
He also celebrated achievements like Pakistan’s first digital census using cloud-based geotagging, the rollout of sovereign cloud infrastructure with the Ministry of IT, the creation of AI centers in universities, and partnerships with global tech giants like Microsoft, Huawei, AWS, and Google Cloud for training and tech transfer.
PBS will serve as the portal’s data backbone, offering geo-tagged information on over 40 million households and 8 million businesses. The Minister praised the collaboration between academia and public institutions, positioning it as a model for evidence-based policy.
Speaking to students and researchers, he urged universities to integrate data science and cloud computing across all fields — from health and agriculture to economics and urban planning — and to design solutions tailored to local challenges.
He also introduced Quantum Valley Pakistan, a new national initiative aimed at unifying research efforts under one innovation ecosystem. This platform will host science parks, support public-private collaboration, and foster cutting-edge technological advancement.
In closing, Professor Iqbal called for unified action from government, academia, industry, and youth — urging all stakeholders to move beyond rhetoric toward real transformation.
