Govt Decides to Retain NITB Under Ministry of IT

The federal cabinet has approved the decision to retain the National Information Technology Board (NITB) under the portfolio of the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT), reversing an earlier plan to dissolve the institution.

The approval was granted under the Rules of Business 1973, following a formal request from the MoITT to reconsider the previous directive.

Last year, the government’s Rightsizing Committee had decided to abolish the NITB as part of administrative restructuring. Under the proposed plan, the procurement of IT equipment and software was to be handled independently by each department through their respective procuring agencies, eliminating the centralized role previously played by the NITB.

However, the MoITT submitted a summary urging the federal government to reassess the closure, arguing that the NITB remains a critical body for driving digital governance initiatives in Pakistan. The ministry emphasized the board’s contributions to automating government processes, developing digital platforms, and providing technical consultancy to federal departments.

The NITB was originally formed in 2014 by merging the Pakistan Computer Bureau and the Electronic Government Directorate, to consolidate and streamline public sector IT operations. In 2022, it was granted autonomous status through an act of Parliament, giving it financial and operational independence, along with a governing board comprising both public and private sector members.