By Abdul Ghani

The Pakistani government has approved two digital modernisation projects worth more than Rs12 billion, targeting cybersecurity and automation of the country's postal infrastructure.

According to the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives' Monthly Development Update – August 2026, available with Wealth Pakistan, the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) approved the two information technology projects with a combined cost of Rs12.061 billion in July 2026.

The larger of the two is the revised Automation of Post Office project, sponsored by the Ministry of Communications, which was approved at a cost of Rs6.290 billion.

The project is aimed at modernising post office infrastructure across the country as part of the government's broader push towards digital transformation.

The second project, Cyber Security for Digital Pakistan (Phase-I), has been approved at a revised cost of Rs5.771 billion. It is being sponsored by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication.

According to the document, the objectives of the two projects include developing and implementing a national cybersecurity policy and modernising the country's post office infrastructure.

The cybersecurity initiative assumes importance as the government expands the use of digital systems and services. The project acts as a strategic development bolster, strengthening the country's cybersecurity framework in tandem with its ongoing digital transformation.

The postal automation project, meanwhile, represents an effort to modernise one of the country's longstanding public-service networks through technology. The document identifies modernisation of post office infrastructure as a central objective of the approved IT-sector portfolio.

Together, the two projects indicate that the government's digital development agenda is extending beyond the expansion of conventional IT services to include both digital security and modernisation of public-service infrastructure.

The projects were among the development proposals considered by the CDWP at its July meeting. Overall, the forum considered 27 agenda items, including 22 projects, four position papers and one concept clearance proposal. Nine projects were approved, while another nine were recommended to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council.

The government's broader development outlook for FY2026-27 identifies digital transformation as one of the areas that will support sustainable and inclusive development, alongside macroeconomic stability, private sector-led growth, exports and climate resilience.

The approval of the cybersecurity and postal automation projects therefore provides two parallel tracks for public-sector digital modernisation: strengthening the security framework needed for an increasingly digital economy and upgrading a nationwide public-service network through technology.

Credit: INP-WealthPk