An informative and enriching session on IT governance landscape was delivered by Mr. Waqar Naeem Qureshi, Director General IT Solutions at Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) on November 20^th, 2025 for the participants of 45^th MCMC. Mr. Qureshi provided a holistic view of Pakistan’s evolving digital governance ecosystem and the institutional foundations required for effective technology enabled service delivery.

A significant portion of the lecture focused on the Punjab Data Governance Initiative and noted that the absence of unified data standards has historically undermined transparency and obstructed evidence-based decision making. This new initiative aims to address these longstanding gaps by enabling interdepartmental data sharing and consequently reducing data silos. The guest speaker stressed that technology alone cannot guarantee reform as adoption, governance discipline, and interdepartmental coordination remain equally important.

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.