Dhaka to unveil democratic overhauls
The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since a student-led revolt ousted then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024, ending her 15-year rule.
Muhammad Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who is leading the caretaker government as its chief adviser until elections are held, has said he inherited a "completely broken down" system of public administration.
Yunus previously pledged to unveil a "big package" to overhaul democratic institutions.
But efforts to reach agreements have made slow progress as political parties jostle for power ahead of elections, slated for early 2026.
Yunus's government has warned that political power struggles risk jeopardising the gains that have been made.
On July 29, Yunus said he was working to "build a broad national consensus around a renewed political system - one that delivers inclusive, participatory, and credible elections".
Yunus's office said on Saturday that the "July Proclamation" would be "presented to the nation in the presence of all political parties involved in the mass uprising".
Hasina's rule saw widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents.
Her government was also accused of politicising courts and the civil service, staging lopsided elections and dismantling democratic checks on its power.
Hasina, 77, fled to India, where she has defied court orders to attend her ongoing trial on charges amounting to crimes against humanity.
Protests began on July 1, 2024, with university students calling for reforms to a quota system for public sector jobs.
They culminated on August 5, 2024, when thousands of protesters stormed Hasina's palace as she escaped by helicopter.
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Bangladesh's interim government said on Saturday it will release its slate of democratic overhauls on August 5, the one-year anniversary of the overthrow of the previous autocratic administration. The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil since a student-led revolt ousted then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024, ending her 15-year rule. Muhammad Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who is leading the caretaker government as its chief adviser until elections are held, has said he inherited a "completely broken down" system of public administration. Yunus previously pledged to unveil a "big package" to overhaul democratic institutions. But efforts to reach agreements have made slow progress as political parties jostle for power ahead of elections, slated for early 2026. Yunus's government has warned that political power struggles risk jeopardising the gains that have been made. On July 29, Yunus said he was working to "build a broad national consensus around a renewed political system - one that delivers inclusive, participatory, and credible elections". Yunus's office said on Saturday that the "July Proclamation" would be "presented to the nation in the presence of all political parties involved in the mass uprising". Hasina's rule saw widespread human rights abuses, including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents. Her government was also accused of politicising courts and the civil service, staging lopsided elections and dismantling democratic checks on its power. Hasina, 77, fled to India, where she has defied court orders to attend her ongoing trial on charges amounting to crimes against humanity. Protests began on July 1, 2024, with university students calling for reforms to a quota system for public sector jobs. They culminated on August 5, 2024, when thousands of protesters stormed Hasina's palace as she escaped by helicopter.
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The writer is Chair, National AI Policy Committee based in Islamabad. He can be reached at aneelsalman@ and @SalmanAneel Listen to article In July 2025, Pakistan crossed a digital milestone with the approval of its first-ever National Artificial Intelligence Policy — a bold, ethical and transformative step toward our future. As Chair of the National AI Policy Committee, I had the distinct privilege of guiding this process not merely as a technical exercise, but as a national conversation. This policy did not emerge from behind closed doors. It was built through an inclusive, iterative process that brought together a multi-stakeholder committee of experts from across Pakistan: government institutions, private technology firms, academia, civil society and the armed forces. Voices from every corner of the country contributed to its vision and detail. The Ministry of IT and Telecom anchored this effort with clarity and consistency. The team engaged deeply across all phases of drafting and consultation. Minister of State Shaza Fatima Khawaja offered timely guidance and ensured that the policy remained a national priority. Her role was pivotal in securing cabinet approval. Wider feedback was also invited and incorporated. Stakeholders such as HEC, FBR, PEMRA, PTA, provincial IT boards, and universities all engaged actively. Industry partners including JAZZ, OICCI and GSMA, as well as global players like Google and UNESCO, reviewed and helped refine the document. Their insights enhanced the policy's relevance and broadened its ambition. As Chair, I witnessed first-hand how divergent voices can converge on a shared goal when the stakes are national. There were moments of debate — on how far to push AI regulation, how to ensure equity or how to align with international norms. But the spirit was always constructive. Our committee became a microcosm of what policy-making should be: evidence-informed, participatory and public-spirited. I still remember one committee member from Balochistan saying, "This policy will matter when our girls can code in Khuzdar." That spirit of inclusion with aspiration stayed with me throughout. Pakistan now joins a select group of South Asian countries with AI policies like India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. What distinguishes Pakistan's policy is not chronology, but character. It is the policy's scope, structure and soul that truly set it apart. Rather than offering piecemeal ideas or generic aspirations, the National AI Policy 2025 presents a full-spectrum blueprint for how Pakistan can responsibly harness AI across sectors and generations. At its core, the policy is structured around six interlinked pillars. These include: 1) Building an innovation ecosystem to nurture AI research, start-ups and venture capital. 2) Expanding national awareness and readiness through large-scale skilling and public sector training. 3) Securing AI through ethical frameworks, data sovereignty and transparent governance. 4) Going for AI-led transformation. Here, sectoral roadmaps will be developed to integrate AI into agriculture, education, health, climate resilience, energy and governance. The policy envisions a public sector where predictive analytics improve service delivery, where farmers access climate-smart tools, and where health diagnostics reach rural clinics via AI-backed platforms. 5) Laying the digital foundation. Pakistan will invest in high-performance computing clusters, local large language models, national AI data repositories and cloud infrastructure. It will establish AI hubs in major cities to bridge regional disparities and build connectivity between universities, industry and government. 6) Forging international partnerships and collaboration. Pakistan will join global AI forums, forge bilateral and multilateral cooperation and promote AI diplomacy. The goal is to remain interoperable with global standards, attract ethical AI investment and participate in joint research and development. Institutions including UNESCO and the Asian Development Bank have engaged with the policy, endorsing its principles and recognising Pakistan's readiness to lead responsibly. Crucially, this policy is not developed in isolation. It is tightly integrated with existing digital and cybersecurity frameworks, including the National Cyber Security Policy, Cloud First Policy, Personal Data Protection Bill, Digital Pakistan Policy, and the Digital Nation Pakistan Act. This alignment ensures coherence, avoids duplication and reflects a whole-of-government approach to digital transformation. Inclusivity is a defining feature. From AI scholarships for women and persons with disabilities to training for underserved communities, the policy aims to bridge divides. The gender digital divide and algorithmic bias are not afterthoughts. They are front and centre. AI must not replicate structural inequalities. It must help dismantle them. AI is not just another layer in our tech stack. It is a force multiplier for development — whether we speak of boosting agricultural yields, identifying learning gaps in public schools, supporting financial inclusion or enabling transparent governance. AI has the potential to do in years what conventional reforms could not in decades. Yet technology alone is not a solution. It must be matched with public values, institutional readiness and civic trust. That is why the policy emphasises ethics, transparency and human oversight. It proposes an open-source AI governance framework, regulatory sandboxes and a national registry for public sector AI tools. These are not cosmetic additions. They are foundational guardrails. By 2030, AI adoption could increase Pakistan's GDP by up to 12% and generate over 3.5 million new jobs. The policy positions Pakistan not as a passive user of imported technology, but as a sovereign innovator — producing local AI models, building indigenous talent and exporting smart solutions. For me, this journey was never just about drafting a document. It was about shaping the digital destiny of a country I believe in. The conversations we had as a committee about national capacity, public trust, inclusion and innovation reminded me that policymaking is at its best when it is aspirational, yet grounded in the lives of people. Pakistan must not merely adapt to the future. We must help define it. In doing so, we choose clarity over confusion, inclusion over inertia, and innovation over indifference. This is not the conclusion of a policy process. It is the beginning of a national transformation. The words may be written, but their impact will depend on action, ownership and follow-through. Let us step forward — not as bystanders to the Fourth Industrial Revolution, but as active architects of a future where Pakistani talent, values and innovation shape the global AI horizon.
