Steering Committee Reviews Progress on Digital Gender Inclusion Strategy

The second meeting of the Steering Committee on Digital Gender Inclusion, chaired by Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja, reviewed in detail the implementation of Pakistan’s Digital Gender Inclusion Strategy.

The meeting emphasized that the Prime Minister’s Digital Vision centers on creating a gender-inclusive digital society.

According to the GSMA report shared in the meeting, the gender gap in mobile internet usage in Pakistan has decreased from 38 percent to 25 percent.

The minister highlighted a significant increase in women’s mobile internet usage, which rose from 33 percent to 45 percent. She also noted that the successful pilot of digital wallets for 800,000 women under Prime Minister’s Ramadan package marked a crucial step towards financial inclusion and empowerment of women.

The minister instructed all sub-committees and departments under the Ministry of IT to submit quarterly reports in line with the digital gender inclusion strategy.

She stressed that all key performance indicators (KPIs) must be outcome-based, with clear deadlines assigned to each target. She further emphasized the need for a marked increase in budgetary allocations for women-focused digital initiatives to ensure real impact.

Fatima stated that the agenda is not merely about policies or meetings. “When a woman is empowered, the positive effect extends beyond her—it uplifts entire families,” she said.

She reiterated the government’s commitment to driving measurable and sustainable change in gender digital inclusion across sectors.

The meeting was attended by PTA Chairman, whom the minister described as an “ambassador for gender inclusivity.” The PTA appreciated the efforts of the Secretariat and reaffirmed its strong support. Representatives from UNESCO, PTA, GSMA, GDIP, ISOC, APEC, NCHR, NCSW, Jazz, LUMS, HEC, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, and the Ministry of Federal Education also participated in the session.