An informative session on IT governance landscape was delivered by Mr. Waqar Naeem Qureshi, Director General IT Solutions at Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) on August 8, 2025 for the participants of 44^th MCMC. Mr. Qureshi highlighted that success in IT Governance hinges on four key levers: strategy, technology, governance, and adoption. Mr. Qureshi outlined the four stages of digital transformation – from the embryonic stage of brochure style websites to the fully integrated Digital Government model. He also highlighted Pakistan’s progress, including the launch of its first Al Policy in 2024 and initiatives like RAAST, ePay, DEEP, DARE, and DASTAK for service consolidation and data sharing.

The guest speaker candidly addressed the challenges faced in Pakistan and Punjab, including low institutional capacity, fragmented IT initiatives, weak performance metrics, and frequent leadership changes. In Punjab, he noted seven times increase in the IT budget from Rs. 5 billion in 2021-22 to Rs. 35 billion in 2025-26, reflecting a strong commitment to digital transformation. A major focus of the session was the Punjab Data Governance Initiative aimed at eliminating data duplication, enabling cross-departmental data sharing, and enhancing transparency.

A lively question and answer session followed with participants raising issues such as data security, consultant accountability, departmental adoption, digitization success rates, cash-based economy barriers, and integration of departmental systems. The session concluded with a standing ovation to the esteemed speaker by the faculty and participants.